INDIANAPOLIS – When Frank Ragnow retired last June, he left a major void in the middle of the Detroit Lions’ offensive line. It was quickly filled by Graham Glasgow, who moved over from left guard. But it was far from a seamless transition for the 33-year-old veteran. Glasgow endured his share of struggles last fall, which raised questions about his future. At the end of the season, when he was asked if he intended to play in 2026, Glasgow said, “We’ll see.”
But his status for next season remains unclear as he contemplates retirement.
“He’s still under contract,” general manager Brad Holmes told reporters at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, Feb. 24. “The start of the league year is a real date. So, you want to have as much clarity as possible.”
After all, the Lions could be in the market for a new center when moves are allowed on March 11.
Even if Glasgow chooses to continue playing, it’s uncertain if Detroit intends to keep him. Holmes didn’t provide a definitive answer when presented with that question, saying, “Those are still dialogues that we have just got to have in the future.”
Glasgow has one year remaining on his contract, and his cap hit for 2026 is $8.44 million. If the Lions release him, they would stand to save $5.5 million-$7 million, depending on the timing of the cut.
That sum could conceivably be reinvested in a replacement from outside the organization. If the Lions were to seek out another center, they seem to prefer one who is experienced.
“It’s a very important position,” Holmes said. “You’ve got to handle a lot of information. There’s some rookies that have been able to handle it. But you’ve just got to find the right one, whether it’s Day 1, Day 2, or Day 3. If you find the right one, he can. But really the kind of obvious way to (to plug that spot) is (to get) a player who has already done it.”
Signing a veteran free agent may prove to be the best solution given that there is not a bumper crop of centers in this year’s draft.
“I think there’s a decent group … there," NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Thursday during a conference call. "I don’t know that there’s one that I would jump on the table for. [Taking one in the] second round may be a little bit of a reach there."
But the Lions don’t own a selection in the third round, the projected pick range for several top center prospects.
Still, Holmes believes the Lions have options, with Tate Ratledge a potential fallback solution. Before being slotted at right guard his rookie season, the 2025 second-round pick briefly experimented at center during organized team activities and the outset of training camp, despite never having played that position at any point during his five-year college career at Georgia.
“I think that’s a real option,” Holmes said.
In December, Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated that a move to center was “not off the table.”
“We’ll find out,” he said. “We’ll find out.”
Two months later, they're still in the discovery process because their plans at center remain up in the air.
Contact Rainer Sabin at [email protected]. Follow him @RainerSabin on X.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tate Ratledge 'real option' at center for Lions, Brad Holmes says