If it’s up to them, Detroit Lions offensive linemen won’t let Hank Fraley leave for other opportunities.
Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley is one of the most beloved position coaches on the team, and it’s no surprise he’s starting to gain interest from other teams. He already interviewed for the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator position. It’s also possible Fraley leaves with one of Detroit’s coordinators, should Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn get a head coaching job.
But if it’s up to the Lions players, they aren’t going to let Fraley leave the building. During locker room cleanout day on Sunday following the team’s Divisional Round loss, both center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell said—seemingly only half-jokingly—that they were going to do everything in their power to get him to stay.
“You refuse to let Hank leave,” Ragnow said. “I haven’t played in this league without Hank and I don’t plan on doing it. I’ll sabotage him, I’ll leak stories, whatever it takes.”
“Yeah, it’s the same as me,” Sewell said minutes later. “He’s not going nowhere at the end of the day. He’s not going nowhere.”
Both Sewell and Ragnow have deep connections to Fraley that go beyond the typical coach/player relationship. For Sewell, their history dates well before draft day in 2021.
“He’s just been one of those pillars for me in this organization,” Sewell said. “When I first came in I fell in love with him, and we’ve got a history, too. He was recruiting me in high school when he was at UCLA. So, lotta history between us and our relationship has grown. He’s like coach (Dan) Campbell in terms of a figure in my eyes. So, he’s not going nowhere.”
For Ragnow, it’s Fraley’s experience as an NFL center himself that makes their relationship so special.
“I don’t think I could play in this league without the guy. He’s everything to me. He’s been there since Day 1,” Ragnow said. “In this league, there are a lot of coaches, but there’s not many coaches like him that empower his players and really it is an open dialogue. He really does everything he can to put us in the best positions to be confident and go out there and play well.
“Again, I’ve said it before, but him being a former center in this league has been invaluable to me. Talking about how we see things, and not only him giving me advice, but me telling him how I see it and him being willing to listen. I think that’s so rare, and I’m just so grateful for him.”
Ragnow and Sewell have already grown into All-Pro talents thanks, in part, to Fraley, but for 2024 fourth-round pick Giovanni Manu, he’s just starting to feel the impact of Fraley’s coaching. The developmental rookie told Fraley directly that he doesn’t want him to get the Seahawks job, as he’s been instrumental to his behind-the-scenes growth.
“I’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I’ve created a good relationship with him,” Manu said. “Not just him, but (assistant offensive line coach) Steve Oliver to a point where I don’t think any other o-line coach understands me more than he does. That’s the only reason why I’d love to have him here for my whole tenure, if I could.”
One possibility for Fraley’s future could be to get promoted internally to Lions offensive coordinator. If Johnson gets a head coaching job elsewhere, Fraley is likely to be one of a few internal candidates to take over, along with assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand. If it’s Fraley, he’s got Ragnow’s endorsement.
“I truly think he would be great,” Ragnow said. “He’s bright, man. He’s bright. He’s so creative in what he does with this offense. I know Ben gets a lot of the credit or whatever, but Hank, that whole staff, they’re very innovative and creative and they do a really good job.”
With Lions coaches now free to do in-person interviews with any team, we could see movement quickly.
