In line with how good the Detroit Lions offensive line is, offensive line coach Hank Fraley is getting noticed around the league. He interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks' offensive coordinator post a couple weeks ago,, and it's fair to say those opportunities will continue to come his way.
It's also possible Fraley follows Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn if/when they leave the Lions for a head coaching job, to become their offensive coordinator. He is also a natural internal candidate to replace Johnson as the Lions' offensive coordinator.
Players of course are reticent to lose a coach that means something to them. When the Lions cleaned out their lockers on Sunday, center Frank Ragnow and right tackle both addressed the possibility of losing Fraley when the topic came up.
First up was Ragnow, when asked directly about potential offseason changes including Fraley's departure.
"No, you refuse to let Hank leave,” Ragnow said. “I haven’t played in this league without Hank and I don’t plan on doing it. I’ll sabotage him, I’ll leak stories, whatever it takes.”
When asked a follow-up question about what Fraley, who arrived as the Lions assistant offensive line coach the same year Ragnow was drafted (2018), means to him, Ragnow dove deeper.
“I don’t think I could play in this league without the guy. He’s everything to me. He’s been there since Day 1,” Ragnow said. “In this league, there are a lot of coaches, but there’s not many coaches like him that empower his players and really it is an open dialogue. He really does everything he can to put us in the best positions to be confident and go out there and play well.
Ragnow then reiterated how Fraley being a former center has impacted him.
"Again, I’ve said it before, but him being a former center in this league has been invaluable to me', Ragnow said. "Talking about how we see things, and not only him giving me advice, but me telling him how I see it and him being willing to listen. I think that’s so rare, and I'm just so grateful for him.”
Lions offensive lineman won't let Hank Fraley go easily
Shortly after Ragnow's comments, Sewell echoed the sentiment.
"Yeah, it’s the same as me,” Sewell said. “He’s not going nowhere at the end of the day. He’s not going nowhere. He’s just been one of those pillars for me in this organization. When I first came in I fell in love with him, and we’ve got a history, too. He was recruiting me in high school when he was at UCLA. So, lotta history between us and our relationship has grown. He’s like coach (Dan) Campbell in terms of a figure in my eyes. So, he’s not going nowhere.”
Rookie offensive lineman Giovanni Manu spoke about how he has built a relationship with Fraley this season.
"I’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I’ve created a good relationship with him,” Manu said. “Not just him, but (assistant offensive line coach) Steve Oliver to a point where I don’t think any other o-line coach understands me more than he does. That’s the only reason why I’d love to have him here for my whole tenure, if I could.”
Ragnow was also sure to credit Fraley's role in the success of the Lions' offense, saying "I truly think he would be great" as an offensive coordinator. Perhaps very quickly, everyone will find out what happens with every Lions' assistant coach who could stay or leave.