DETROIT — The Detroit Lions will spend Christmas in Minneapolis, in need of some help to avoid elimination in Week 17. Outside of a Christmas Miracle — currently a 3 percent chance to make the playoffs — the Lions will be watching the festivities unfold from home.
If it isn’t meant to be, it’ll soon be time to look ahead. And with Christmas right around the corner, here are a few positions of need that should be on their offseason wishlist.
A revamped offensive line (and a Frank Ragnow return)
The Lions need a long-term center in the worst way. If they can somehow convince Frank Ragnow to give it another go, it would be the answer to some problems, assuming he can still play at a high level. Ragnow tried to give it a go, only to learn he had suffered a Grade 3 hamstring strain, ending his season before it even began. Yet, was Ragnow only planning on playing the final month of the season?
Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley said Ragnow has a lot of good football left in him. He’s not even 30. If he heals up and wants to give it a shot, the Lions would welcome him with open arms. If he chooses to stay retired, though, it’ll be interesting to see where the Lions go.
Graham Glasgow is entering the final year of his contract, but could save close to $6 million if the Lions cut him. Even if Glasgow returns, he’ll turn 34 before the 2026 season. Tate Ratledge was drafted a year ago, and it’s unclear if he’s viewed as the future at center or not. Not to say he can’t do it — he just hasn’t before, save for a few practices at Georgia and the Lions.
There’s so much that goes into being a quality center outside of athleticism. They have to be able to see the field before the snap and help the quarterback identify potential threats. Maybe Ratledge is ready, or perhaps the Lions would rather let him become a long-term guard next to Penei Sewell.
If the Lions don’t want to go young, they’ll likely need to trade or sign one this spring. It could be too important to roll the dice on a young player.
Offensive tackle
The logic here is similar to the center conversation years ago. It was no secret that Ragnow pondered retirement in recent offseasons. Taylor Decker has openly done the same this year. He’s battled shoulder injuries, often found in wraps after games, to ease the pain. In a perfect world, he gives them at least another year, and the Lions can draft and develop his replacement.
Yes, the Lions have former fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu, but this was a lost year after suffering a knee injury that placed him on IR following his first career start. He still has upside, but hasn’t proven himself as a long-term answer, and the Lions might not be able to wait for him to develop. Success starts in the trenches for this team, on both sides of the ball.
Edge
It feels like this room is in major need of an overhaul. The Lions entered the season relying on a group that consists of Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike. Two of those players didn’t play a snap this season, and another missed nine games on IR. The players filling in haven’t provided much, if any, pass-rush juice.
The Lions can’t afford to keep running it back with a group that hasn’t been able to stay healthy and hasn’t provided enough production when they are. And they can’t afford a repeat in philosophy.
A year ago, the Lions were conservative at edge in free agency. In the draft, it’s as if they’ve been waiting on the perfect fit to come around. It can leave you vulnerable when it doesn’t align. So, how do you improve the position? The lack of depth, consistency and season-long production is showing. They’re one of the slower teams in terms of average time to pressure this season. Hutchinson is getting there, but not quickly enough, thanks to chips and double-teams.
It feels like it’s time for the Lions to address the position in a more meaningful way — whether that comes in the draft or free agency. Hutchinson needs help. They’ve been overly reliant on him for too long.
Safety
This position quickly went from a strength to a major concern. Kerby Joseph is dealing with a knee injury that’s kept him out of the last eight games. I’m told that if Joseph returns this season, he’ll probably have to gut it out at less than 100 percent like he was doing earlier this season. The hope is that he can rest this offseason and look like himself in 2026, but Joseph said surgery wouldn’t help when talking to reporters a few weeks ago.
It was an ominous scrum and led you to believe Joseph is struggling with the injury, and that it might linger. Campbell told us he suffered a setback last week. If the injury becomes a long-term issue, and Brian Branch is out for the first few months of the 2026 season ahead of the final year of his deal, safety should be a priority this offseason.
Others
Will team captain and linebacker Alex Anzalone be back? He went through a public back-and-forth with the team in training camp, openly stating his desire for a new deal. He could depart in free agency. Elsewhere, Amik Robertson is entering the final year of his contract. If Robertson walks, the Lions will need a starting nickel. Can Ennis Rakestraw stay healthy long enough to replace Robertson, or do the Lions need insurance? It feels like the Lions could use another receiving tight end on the roster, after seeing them without Sam LaPorta this year.
The offense wasn’t the same — even when Brock Wright was healthy. And what’s up with the Lions’ deployment of David Montgomery? Parting ways with him this offseason would create another problem, but is he happy with his current usage in Detroit, knowing he’s a starting-caliber running back receiving a backup workload? Feels like a situation worth monitoring, at least.