{"id":970113,"date":"2026-08-11T08:39:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T08:39:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/970113\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T08:39:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T08:39:39","slug":"weve-got-options-detroit-lions-adjust-after-injuries-plague-players-ahead-of-preseason-game-vs-bengals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/970113\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019ve got options\u2019: Detroit Lions adjust after injuries plague players ahead of preseason game vs. Bengals"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALLEN PARK, Mich. \u2013 Detroit Lions<\/a> center Cade Mays<\/a> will miss significant time after suffering a wrist injury in training camp, but coach Dan Campbell<\/a> said he expects Mays to return later this season.<\/p>\n

Mays suffered the injury during a protection drill when a defensive lineman made an arm-over move and struck his arm, Campbell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those freak things,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Mays, who signed a three-year, $25 million contract with Detroit this offseason, was brought in to help stabilize the Lions\u2019 offensive line after the retirement of center Frank Ragnow. <\/p>\n

Mays had been making progress throughout training camp, Campbell said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like he was having a good camp and he had grown so much in our system just since spring,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Campbell did not provide a specific timetable for Mays\u2019 return but said the injury will keep him out for a while. <\/p>\n

He added that he feels confident Mays will be ready for the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Mays\u2019 absence opens the door for several players to compete for the center position.<\/p>\n

Seth McLaughlin<\/a> is expected to receive significant opportunities, including first-team reps, while Michael Niese<\/a> also has experience at the position. <\/p>\n

Juice Scruggs<\/a> is another candidate, although Campbell said Scruggs is currently dealing with a soft-tissue injury and will need a few more days before returning.<\/p>\n

Tate Ratledge<\/a> also will work at center to give the Lions another option if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got options,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cIt\u2019s the hand you\u2019re dealt, and you move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell said the Lions\u2019 goal is to identify their best five offensive linemen and determine where each player fits before the season begins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will find the best five,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Campbell encouraged by Blake Miller<\/p>\n

Campbell also offered an encouraging assessment of rookie offensive tackle Blake Miller<\/a>, the Lions\u2019 first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.<\/p>\n

Campbell said Miller has shown the consistency and demeanor the team expected from him, even while facing difficult competition in practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does not get too high. He does not get too low,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Miller has spent much of camp going against Lions edge rusher and Michigan Wolverines<\/a> legend Aidan Hutchinson<\/a>, which Campbell said should accelerate the rookie\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

Campbell acknowledged that Miller has experienced some ups and downs, particularly in pass protection, but said he remains confident in the young tackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not discouraged. Not one bit,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cHe will come out of this, and he\u2019s going to be a better player because of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell said the Lions plan to give Miller plenty of reps as they determine whether he is ready to be their starting right tackle in Week 1.<\/p>\n

If Miller needs more time, Campbell said veteran Larry Borom<\/a> has been having a good camp and remains an option.<\/p>\n

Miller is expected to play in Detroit\u2019s preseason game Thursday, according to Campbell.<\/p>\n

Pacheco expected to be ready for season<\/p>\n

Campbell also provided an update on running back Isiah Pacheco<\/a>, who has missed several practices with an MCL sprain.<\/p>\n

Campbell said the Lions feel good about Pacheco being ready for the regular-season opener. <\/p>\n

Pacheco joined Detroit this offseason after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n

Pacheco\u2019s absence has created additional opportunities for Jacob Saylors<\/a> and Jabari Small<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Campbell said the two young running backs have been competing closely during camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose two guys are just jockeying with each other right now,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

Campbell said special teams work also will be important in determining how the running backs fit into the roster.<\/p>\n

Lions continuing to evaluate roster<\/p>\n

Campbell said the Lions were pleased with what they learned during four consecutive padded practices last week and expect to continue making personnel adjustments.<\/p>\n

The team also recently brought veteran defensive back Trevon Diggs<\/a> in for a workout. <\/p>\n

Campbell said Detroit remains interested in finding ways to improve competition at every position.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always looking to upgrade the competition,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

At tight end, Campbell said Jackson Meeks<\/a> has impressed after moving from wide receiver.<\/p>\n

Campbell described Meeks as a \u201cbig skill\u201d player whose athleticism, speed and ability to separate have stood out since moving inside. <\/p>\n

He also said Meeks has shown promise on special teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got an opportunity,\u201d Campbell said.<\/p>\n

The Lions are scheduled to play their first preseason game Thursday (Aug. 13) as the coaching staff continues evaluating the roster and determining how injuries and emerging players will shape the team heading into the regular season.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALLEN PARK, Mich. \u2013 Detroit Lions center Cade Mays will miss significant time after suffering a wrist injury…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":970114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[1817,29145,10418,6214,146,113,2506,7,3188,17643,127483,49440,7463,20332,147,6286,71,6,2203,628,3428],"class_list":["post-970113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-lions","tag-aidan-hutchinson","tag-blake-miller","tag-cade-mays","tag-dan-campbell","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-lions","tag-detroitlions","tag-football","tag-isiah-pacheco","tag-jabari-small","tag-jackcon-meeks","tag-jacob-saylors","tag-juice-scruggs","tag-larry-borom","tag-lions","tag-michael-niese","tag-michigan-wolverines","tag-nfl","tag-seth-mclaughlin","tag-tate-ratledge","tag-trevon-diggs"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117075978683787572","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=970113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/970113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/970114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=970113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=970113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=970113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}