When the Detroit Lions traded David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, fans were immediately looking into what draft picks the team might've acquired in the swap, as well as who in the world Juice Scruggs was.
Prior to the teams' signing of Cade Mays in free agency, Scruggs landed with the team in the Montgomery trade as a potential starting option at center for the team. That was not a great thing, especially after he had a down year with Houston (and as Houston's O-line had a bad season overall). Of course, Mays is now here, but that doesn't entirely displace Scruggs from the starting line.
He's a versatile lineman with experience at guard and center, but he mostly took snaps at left guard in 2025 for the Texans. That is an eye-opening revelation for the Lions, who seem to be opening the competition for starting left guard in training camp. Scruggs could very well go from throw-in to an actual starter with a good training camp showing.
Scruggs could go from toss-in to starter if he can win open LG competition
Scruggs got a bad rep from PFF in 2025, with the site only giving him a run blocking grade of 40.5 and a pass blocking grade of 57.7. However, the Texans entire line struggled this season, which has to be taken into consideration when talking about his potential as a starter on the Lions' IOL this season.
With Ben Bartch still working his way back from a foot injury, and with Christian Mahogany having not permanently established himself as too good of a starter for Detroit at left guard in 2025, Scruggs could slide into the starting rotation next to Mays and Tate Ratledge this season.
He's got the size to match up against opposing defensive linemen consistently, and seems to have good awareness on the field as a run-blocker if given the help.
READ MORE: Rock Ya-Sin sounds like Terrion Arnold's biggest threat headed into training camp
Detroit's offensive line has seen a total revamp this offseason, with Mays in at center and Penei Sewell now anchoring Jared Goff's blindside. That, coupled with the steady improvement of rookie Blake Miller at right tackle, could really help to unlock Scruggs' potential.
Head coach Dan Campbell said recently of the left guard battle, "I mean, we’re going to let this thing go and see what happens. When you’ve got someone nipping at your heels constantly, it’s good for everybody."
Scruggs could be the beneficiary of that competition, but if not, he's still a great backup option behind whoever wins out in camp.
Add us as a preferred source on Google