Frank Ragnow will not play against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, that much we’ve known. But there was some uncertainty about who would fill in at center for the All-Pro on Monday Night Football.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff ended any of that mystery during his Thursday media session. It will be Graham Glasgow, the team’s regular left guard — if Goff’s words are to be believed.
“Yeah, he’s the Swiss army knife,” Goff said of the veteran Glasgow. “He can kind of do it all. He’s played right guard, he’s played left guard this year, and now he’s playing center and it’s a luxury for us to have him, for sure.”
That sure sounds like Glasgow will be moving into the center spot, where he started three games in 2023 (Weeks 8, 12 and 13). He was Denver’s primary center in the 2022 season as well, though he’s spent most of his career and earned his top PFF grades playing guard.
The Lions did keep an actual center on the 53-man roster in Michael Niese, and Niese took all the fill-in first-team reps at center throughout training camp–not Glasgow. During a conversation I had with a member of the Lions coaching staff in August, the indication was that Niese was Plan B if Ragnow got hurt during the season.
Niese can also play guard, and sliding Glasgow into the pivot opens up a need for a starting left guard. The Lions have not revealed the plans there yet, but Kayode Awosika and Niese are the only current guards on the active roster. Rookie Christian Mahogany remains on the non-football illness list through at least the bye in Week 5. Colby Sorsdal, who played some guard as a rookie in 2023, has been moved back to full-time tackle this year.