Remember when the Detroit Lions were toying with the idea of playing Tate Ratledge at center as a rookie after Frank Ragnow's shocking retirement?
It was a bit of a pipe dream, especially with rookies trying to adjust to NFL at their natural position. Asking Ratledge to pivot from what was was most comfortable with in college, right guard, to center right away would've been a big ask.
But what about now, with a year of NFL experience under his belt and with yet another crisis at center thanks to Cade Mays' hand injury? Well, it sounds like the Lions are wondering the same, as they were getting Ratledge in some major reps at center just a few days after their first preseason game.
#Lions OL Tate Ratledge took a healthy majority of the first-team snaps at center today. Juice Scruggs also got some work there at the beginning of practice, but it was mostly Ratledge at C, Ben Bartch at LG and Christian Mahogany at RG.
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) August 16, 2026
Former Ratledge-at-center plan seems to be getting dusted off
One thing that really helps the Lions with actually being able to consider this positional shift as an option is their signing of Ben Bartch. He has a ton of potential as a guard, although he's gotten some limited playing time over the last year due to a foot injury suffered while he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
He's still a potential option to start at guard, either right or left, which gives the Lions the ability to plug and play Christian Mahogany, or Juice Scruggs, at guard. Scruggs also has some experience at center, but Detroit seems to be happy re-heating their 2025 nachos with this test.
READ MORE: Lions' QB2 competition is far from over after solid Luke Altmyer outing
General manager Brad Holmes had this to say back in February about the possibility of placing Ratledge at center this season:
"That’s still a real option. Look, when we tried him out there in camp, he wasn’t doing anything wrong that we had to move him back. We just felt like, where he was, being a rookie, we felt right guard would be an easier acclimation for him. And, Graham’s previous experience was a little easier for him. So at that stage, we thought that was the right thing. But, there’s still promise for Tate to move to that position. But that’s the beauty of it, the flexibility."
Detroit did not draft a center this year, and beyond Mays, they didn't really invest in the position. Seth McLaughlin and Scruggs remain options, though. To be honest, it feels like we all forgot that Ratledge had been front of mind for Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell as a center replacement after they signed Mays.
But, with him out for a significant amount of time, and with some better plug and play options at guard heading into this season compared to last year, why not see if you have something long-term in Ratledge under center?
Add us as a preferred source on Google