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Graham Glasgow has quietly won the Lions center competition
Dec 5, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell greets guard Graham Glasgow (60) during pregame warmups before their game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

While rookie guard Tate Ratledge might have been getting some major reps at center to begin training camp, the Detroit Lions seem to have found their answer at center in a familiar face. Graham Glasgow, who returned to the team in free agency this offseason, sounds like the teams' choice to replace the hole left by Frank Ragnow in the IOL.

It's a valid choice considering it'd be asking a lot from Ratledge to suddenly bounce from right guard to center for one of the best teams in the NFL. Glasgow at least has experience at center during his nine year tenure in the league.

Despite Glasgow telling reporters when he initially signed back with the team that his home was at right guard, he has since clarified that he's willing to do whatever is needed from him on the offensive line this year.

“I do like playing center,” Glasgow said. “Center’s fun. I like the mental load that comes with it. I think it’s a challenge, but that’s something that I’m pretty good at, so I like to do it. If it came to me having to play center and make the calls or me be a guard and think about the calls anyway — just to make sure the calls are right — I’d probably rather just play center," writes The Athletic's Colton Pouncy.

Glasgow has seemingly won center battle over rookie Ratledge

The battle seems over based on comments from both offensive coordinator John Morton this week and from head coach Dan Campbell on Tuesday. Morton told reporters according to Pouncy, "Glasgow is at the center now, I think that’s more natural for him. Because that center and quarterback (relationship), that needs to be right. The quarterback has got to feel right right there. I do like the way it’s going right now. It’s still early, the more we do it, the better we’re going to get,"

READ MORE: NFL insider pushes Lions-Alex Anzalone situation toward inevitable end game

Campbell said that with each passing day and Glasgow's reps looking "pretty good," there's essentially only so many times you can see it look "pretty dang good" and not know what the consensus is at the positional battle.

Ratledge, on the flip side, has reportedly looked strong at right guard in camp. It's clearly not like he's taken a full demotion on the line overall, but instead is being utilized for his biggest strength in the IOL. For a rookie, that's a great thing - you don't want to be drowning in a new position so early in the year with someone more experienced like Glasgow available down the depth chart.

More Lions news and analysis


This article first appeared on Side Lion Report and was syndicated with permission.

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