With so much hubbub made about the Detroit Lions' need for a starting tackle, as well as their huge hole at center, not much attention has been given to the brewing battle at guard this offseason.
While Tate Ratledge likely has right guard locked up, barring an injury or a huge step back in his development this season, left guard is up for grabs. Christian Mahogany was average at the position last season before going down with a broken bone in his leg, and we only caught a glimpse at what Miles Frazier can offer in a larger role for the Lions' offensive line.
Outside of those two, veteran guard Ben Bartch could potentially push up the depth chart at LG, while there are questions about just how viable newly-acquired lineman Juice Scruggs is considering how much he struggled to perform while with the Houston Texans.
This is going to be the battle to watch in OTAs this year, which kick off on May 27.
Lions' left guard room could be most interesting positional battle during OTAs
In 699 snaps played at left guard, Mahogany posted an abysmal 40.7 pass blocking grade, in addition to a 67.2 run blocking grade. He allowed a whopping six sacks on Jared Goff, which contributed to some woes offensively for Detroit earlier in the season. The runblocking wasn't much better from the rest of Detroit's iOL, so it was difficult for them to find offense on the ground, too.
Frazier simply didn't get enough time on the field to really evaluated whether or not he had a higher floor than Mahogany at LG, with just 46 snaps under his belt. But, he's coming in with a lot to prove, especially since Detroit's yet to give up on him following their drafting of him in the 5th round last year.
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Bartch could probably represent the biggest threat to Mahogany's place on the Lions' depth chart at LG. In limited snaps last season with the San Francisco 49ers, he allowed zero sacks and just four pressures, and posted a 71.7 overall PFF grade. Again, it's a small sample size, but he did a heck of a lot more with a limited opportunity than Frazier did in 2025.
Injuries could hold him back, though, as he only started in two games for San Francisco. If he can remain healthy, the potential is there - but we've heard that song and dance before regarding just about every Lions player.
This could make or break Detroit's chances at fully taking advantage of a "lighter" 2026 schedule. A firm line could mean the difference between an MVP-caliber season from Gibbs and a dominant year from Goff, or another down season for the offensive line unit and, as a result, a down season for the entire offense.
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