On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions announced that they’ve signed former Bengals center Seth McLaughlin to a future contract. As a reminder, future contracts are typically minimum-salary deals signed to players who finished the previous season on the practice squad.
McLaughlin, 24, went undrafted in 2025, but signed with the Bengals a couple weeks after the draft. He spent the entire 2025 season on the team’s practice squad, and was not elevated at any point. On Monday, Cincinnati signed 13 players from their practice squad to futures contracts, but McLaughlin wasn’t one of them.
In college, McLaughlin was a four-star recruit and committed to Alabama. In 2021, he worked his way up from a reserve player to a starter for the Crimson Tide’s final three games of the season. He started another eight games in 2022 for Alabama and was the full-time starter in 2023. Unfortunately, his time in Alabama came to an infamous end. In the team’s playoff game against the Michigan Wolverines, he was responsible for a couple of low snaps—including on the game’s deciding play—that caused Alabama to struggle and lose to the Wolverines.
Ironically, McLaughlin entered the transfer portal and committed to Ohio State for the 2024 season. There, he thrived, earning the Rimington Trophy, given to the best center in college football. PFF credited him with a 70.7 grade, zero sacks allowed (seven pressures), and a 67.9 run blocking grade. Unfortunately, after starting 10 games for the Buckeyes, McLaughlin ruptured his Achilles in practice and missed out as Ohio State won the National Championship.
ESPN had McLaughlin as the best 2025 NFL Draft prospect that went undrafted, and his Achilles injury likely had a big part in why he wasn’t drafted. However, McLaughlin was cleared to practice and participated in most of the Bengals’ training camp.
Detroit will likely be in the market for centers this offseason, as they continue to adjust in the wake of Frank Ragnow’s retirement in 2025. Graham Glasgow was the primary starter this past season, but struggled at times, and Detroit may not retain him this year with a bulky $8.4 million cap hit. The Lions were grooming Kingsley Eguakun as depth at center—even starting him in two games as a reserve—but Detroit lost him when the Browns signed him off their practice squad.
See More:
