The Detroit Lions thought they were getting an early Christmas gift the Wednesday before Thanksgiving via the recently retired Frank Ragnow. The former Lions center, who retired this offseason due to several injuries, announced he was ending his retirement, with plans of rejoining Detroit for its push toward the postseason.
However, just three days later, the Lions discovered that the gift was a lump of coal, after to Ragnow failed his physical. He reported to the Lions facility on Friday, one day after the team’s Thanksgiving Day defeat to the Green Bay Packers and underwent the standard testing to get cleared to play football. Then, it was discovered that Ragnow has a severe hamstring strain that won’t allow him to pass his physical, and thus, won’t allow him to rejoin Detroit.
“The medical exam revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will keep him from participating for the remainder of the regular season. For that reason, Frank will not be rejoining the Lions. Frank has always been a team-first guy and is a true warrior. He will forever be a Lion.”
Had this occurred earlier in the season, then Ragnow could have simply had time to rehabilitate and take his physical at a later date. But Wednesday—the day he formally announced his intent to unretire and return—was the final day a player could come out of retirement and be eligible to play in the 2025 NFL season.
It’s a highly deflating bit of news for Detroit, considering Ragnow was on the short list of being the best center in all of football when he played. He is a four-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro, and received both of those honors in each of the last two seasons. No active NFL center has made the Pro Bowl more times than Ragnow.
A first-round pick out of Arkansas in 2018, Ragnow started all 96 of the games he played in during his seven-year career, as well as four postseason games. He played in 14 games every season except in 2021, when a toe injury limited him to four games.
When Ragnow retired, the Lions moved Graham Glasgow from guard to center, but the latter has also been dealing with injuries. That’s led to Detroit having a musical chairs of sorts for its entire offensive line, which was one of their pillars of stability the last few years. Detroit has started nine different players along the offensive line this season, with a third of the season still to go. That’s already more starters than Detroit had all of last season.
Despite that, the Lions offense hasn’t outwardly displayed that it misses Ragnow, as it’s been the same old prolific Lions offense that fans have become accustomed to seeing. Detroit ranks fourth in both points scored and yards gained, marking the fourth straight season that the team has ranked in the top five in both offensive categories.
However, the injuries are piling up for Detroit’s offense, even if you don’t include Ragnow, who never officially rejoined the offense. Tight end Sam LaPorta, who has the second-most receptions by a tight end through his first two seasons, is on injured reserve, having last played in Week 10. He is unlikely to play again this season due to a back ailment.
Then on Thanksgiving, the Lions suffered two losses. One was the defeat to the rival Packers, and the other was losing star wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. He suffered a sprained ankle, left the game after just four snaps, and never returned to play. St. Brown has made each of the last three Pro Bowls, each of the last two All-Pro First-Teams, and is just six catches shy of setting the NFL record for most receptions through a player’s first five seasons.
With a 7-5 record, Detroit sits in third place in the NFC North and has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games. Its remaining schedule is one of the most difficult in the league, with four of its last five games to be against teams currently with winning records.
The Lions will next take the field versus the other NFL team that annually plays on Thanksgiving in the Dallas Cowboys, when Detroit hosts Dallas in NFL Week 14 on Dec. 4.
