Detroit Lions Sign Veteran Offensive Lineman After Frank Ragnow Retirement

The Detroit Lions have had one of the best offensive lines in the league for the past few years. It is one of the reasons they have been so dominant. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have plenty of running room, while Jared Goff is given plenty of time to survey the field and find the open man. That unit took a big hit this week when All-Pro center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement. He had been playing through many injuries and decided to call it a career. The Lions now have to reshuffle their line. According to reports, they have brought in veteran offensive lineman Trystan Colon during the second week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

Report: Detroit Lions Sign OL Trystan Colon

Trystan Colon has bounced around to a few places during his five-year career. He went undrafted out of Missouri in 2020, but ended up being signed by the Baltimore Ravens. He played 20 games for the Ravens and started four games. Colon has spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, appearing in 31 games and starting 11 of them. What the Detroit Lions probably like is his versatility.

In his 15 career starts, eight have come at right guard, four have come at left guard, and three have been at center. He can play anywhere on the line, allowing the Detroit Lions to slot him in wherever they need him. Graham Glasgow and rookie Tate Ratledge are the likely candidates to replace Ragnow at center, but the team seems to want flexibility.

2025 Expectations

The Detroit Lions are expected to be in contention for the NFC North again in 2025. However, this year has many more questions, especially after the retirement of Ragnow. While they still have a great offensive line, it isn’t as dominant now. Much has been made about losing both coordinators, and while it may not be as big of a deal as some are making it out to be, it is something to watch. Detroit also has to play a first-place schedule and has one of the hardest ones on paper.

This doesn’t account for the thousand variables that can happen in an NFL season. Injuries happen (as Lions fans know), and certain teams are luckier than others on a year-to-year basis. The NFL is chaotic, which is one of the reasons it is so popular. Detroit should be in a good position heading into 2025, but their path to another NFC North title will be difficult.

Final Thoughts

The Colon signing is a smart one for the organization. It gives them some time to experiment before week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. The offensive line will be a unit to watch in 2025 to see how critical Ragnow was to the dominant nature of the group.