Twentyman’s take: The offensive line is a position group with the potential to see the most improved play on the roster. Detroit got younger and more athletic upfront by moving Sewell to left tackle, adding Mays at center in free agency and drafting Miller. Ratledge and Mahogany are in just their second and third seasons, respectively.
Detroit ranked 31st in pass block win rate last year (56 percent) and were 20th in run block win rate (71 percent). The 39 sacks quarterback Jared Goff took last season were the highest since he’s been Lion.
Mays’ skillset looks to be a good fit in Drew Petzing’s offense. He brings more athleticism to the position than they had last year and the hope is that translates to the field, getting to more of those second-level blocks in the run game. Mays has allowed just one sack combined the last two seasons in 20 starts.
“It’s early, but Cade (Mays) man, he’s a good-looking dude, man,” Campbell said this offseason. “He’s a big man, he’s built right, moves pretty good. And now it’s just getting up to speed with our terminology, the MIKE points, all that. But I like Cade man, he’s a good fit for us. He’s a good fit for us.”
Ratledge’s 73.5 Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade ranked 12th among all NFL guards and second among rookie guards last season. Over his last 12 games, Ratledge didn’t allow a sack and gave up only four quarterback hits. Detroit’s expecting him to be even better in 2026.
There’s also expected to be good competition for the starting left guard spot. Mahogany is the favorite to begin camp, but Bartch has played a lot of football and brings veteran experience. So does Scruggs, who Detroit acquired from Houston in the David Montgomery trade. The team also likes Frazier as a second-year player, and they plan to see if Manu can switch to guard and compete there as well. That will be a fun competition to watch throughout camp.
Detroit was still a top five scoring offense and top five overall offense last season. If the offensive line takes the kind of step forward the Lions think they can, this offense can be special considering the skill weapons they have.