The Detroit Lions have so far avoided major injury issues this offseason, but were forced to deal with a frustrating case when they lost their center Cade Mays to a broken wrist a few weeks ago.
Ever since then, there's been a question about who will take over at center in the meantime, and whether they would be good enough. The Lions have been giving Seth McLaughlin a look, and he's been steady. Still, they likely wanted to roll with a more tested option with a more vast NFL experience.
Enter Juice Scruggs, who was sitting out of practice with an injury when the Mays injury struck. Now, Scruggs has been seeing time at center since coming back, and has been doing a good job to stabilize the offensive line.
Against the Washington Commanders in Week 2, Scruggs was the starting center and showed up. It's looking more and more like the Lions want to use him in the role during the regular season, and likely that he will be the Week 1 starter against the New Orleans Saints in a few weeks time.
Prior to the start, Scruggs had said he was looking forward to not only shaking off the rust from his brief injury, but learning more about chemistry with Jared Goff. He wants to see things ironed out before the end of the preseason in terms of technique and experience.
"Just getting better with the rhythm of the offense being at center now and just getting the chemistry down with Jared (Goff). Just continue to get reps, and hopefully we get the chemistry down by the end of the preseason because I know it takes time. So, just getting the reps together with him is my goal."
So far, so good as it relates to ironing things out. Against Washington, Scruggs was impressive. Nate Tice of Yahoo Sports placed his stamp of approval on the outing, and said that he showed up well in the running game.
I thought Juice Scruggs (#70) had a nice showing in his first preseason action at Center for the Lions. Was sturdy and played with a good base in the run game & pass protection.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) August 24, 2026
Like him better on Gap and Duo run concepts where he can use his size rather than on zone runs. pic.twitter.com/H2zQb4QXs8
It was tough for Lions fans to see David Montgomery go in this offseason's trade, and it can be especially tough to lose a player and only gain draft picks in return. This deal had a tangible piece that can help now in Scruggs. If he is able to hold the fort down while Mays is hurt, it will prove once and for all that Brad Holmes made a savvy decision to bring him in the fold.
Scruggs feels good about transition to center given past experience
The performance against the Commanders should serve as an immediate boost for Scruggs mentally and physically. He was already confident in his ability to play center given his experience with Penn State and in the league, and believes he just needs time in Detroit to find his comfort level moving forward.
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"Definitely comfortable. Played there in college, played a little bit in the league. New offense, it's a little different, but getting used to it. I need reps and I'm getting those now. So, we'll be ready to go for sure. (I like) my quickness, my get off and just being (able to) have everybody on the same page. I feel like I do a good job at that, but there's always room for improvement."
Scruggs will continue to improve as he learns the offense and his quarterback. Week 2 of the preseason was a very good start. It certainly feels as if the Lions could get a sneaky good value in Scruggs out of the Montgomery trade.
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