Late Wednesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions revealed the shocking news that just a few months after announcing his retirement from the game, All-Pro center Frank Ragnow is coming back and intending to play for the team down the stretch. While details are still scant about why Ragnow changed his mind, when he will be ready to return on Sundays, and how the Lions will adjust their lineup, we conducted and emergency podcast on Wednesday to celebrate, give our thoughts, and talk about what comes next for the Lions.
First, we have to address the initial shock of the news. It was less than a month ago when Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked if there was any chance Ragnow could come back and help a struggling offensive line, and Campbell said in no uncertain terms: “That ship has sailed.” Yet here we are, a mere three weeks later, and the Lions have officially re-rostered one of their best players of the modern era.
Just how big of an impact will Ragnow have? It honestly feels hard to overstate. He’s not only just a really, really good blocker in both the run and pass, but his intelligence is something that will be a huge asset for the offensive front. All of the miscommunications and failed blitz pickups that have plagued this line for three months should be cleaned up significantly once Ragnow is in the lineup. That could be huge for Detroit’s penultimate game against a tricky Vikings defense.
But is there a danger of it being too little, too late? The Lions are already on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff race, and it doesn’t appear Ragnow will be ready for Detroit’s two monster games ahead: Thanksgiving vs. the Packers and next week vs. the Cowboys. If Detroit loses both of those games—with their toughest game still remaining (at Rams)—will Ragnow arrive just a minute too late? Or could the Lions run the table from there and take advantage of the inevitable Chicago Bears crashout?
If they make the playoffs, though, do the Lions become one of the most dangerous teams to play? With a defense still playing at a high level, several players still returning from injury, and an offensive line that is likely to take a significant step, it sure looks like Detroit could be playing their best football at the exact right time.
We break it all down on this EMERGENCY PODCAST. You can access the show on any of your favorite podcasting platforms or via the Spotify embed below.
You can catch the video replay of the show—plus the Lions vs. Packers Madden sim (with Frank Ragnow!)—over on our Twitch and YouTube pages.
See More:
