When it comes to toughness, there is no better example on a football field than former Arkansas offensive lineman Frank Ragnow.
Since being a first-round pick of Detroit in the 2018 NFL Draft – going 20th overall – the 6-foot-5, 311-pound All-Pro, has not only become the cornerstone of the Lions’ offensive line, but arguably the best center in professional football.
Unfortunately, Ragnow is also no stranger to the injury report. A still lingering turf toe injury sustained in 2021, limited him to just four games that year. Just this past season, alone, he made a number of appearances on the injured list with knee, ankle, back, and toe ailments. That also included painful knee and ankle sprains he endured during a 31-23 playoff victory over Tampa Bay on Jan. 21.
Despite suffering from an array of injuries the following week, Ragnow was a full-participant at practice and played all 72 offensive snaps in a season-ending loss to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game. But following the game, the banged-up Ragnow seemed to contemplate retiring from the game, saying he was going to “take a look at my body and my MRIs and figure everything out.”
Although he didn’t specifically say that he was pondering retirement, he did reference the physical and mental toll the game has taken on him. There was also growing speculation around the Lions that Ragnow could call it quits.
“It takes a toll on you,” he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It really takes a toll on you, so I need to find a way to get back to Frank, and I don’t regret any of this at all. But it weighs on you and I’m just going to take some time and really figure everything out to make sure that I’m feeling good. Not only for me, the football player, but for me to be the best husband and best father and everything with that as well.”
But the Lions were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief at the NFL Honors event on Feb. 8, when Ragnow was all smiles as he announced that he had figured it out, and would return for the 2024 season.
“I’m not retiring,” he said. “I just need a few weeks to get healthy.”
Ragnow has long earned the respect of his teammates and bosses, as they recognize the toll the injuries have taken on him and the physical pain he has been put through.
“I have so much respect for him and for everything that he goes through and fights through, that I’m just respectful of his time and his thoughts,” Detroit General Manager Brad Holmes said after the season. “We’re not going to pressure him to do anything or make any moves.”
Even in an injury-plagued 2023, Ragnow was still good enough to earn second-team All-Pro honors and be selected to the Pro Bowl.
The 27-year-old Ragnow is still under contract for the next three years. so his future appears to remain bright with the Lions, who just completed their best season since 1957’s NFL Championship campaign.
The Minnesota native arrived in Fayetteville as a 4-Star prospects in 2014 and quickly made his presence felt, being named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team. As a junior he was named First-Team All-American by Pro Football Focus, who also rated him the nation’s top-graded center, as both a junior and senior.
