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Lions' Dan Campbell Says Young Offensive Lineman Has Had 'More Downs Than Ups' This Offseason

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By John Vaccaro | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 4:42 PM ET

The Detroit Lions' offensive line was thrown into upheaval this offseason.

They lost their starting right guard when Kevin Zeitler left in free agency.

Then they lost All-Pro center Frank Ragnow when he made the surprising decision to retire.

That left the Lions needing to lean on a lot of youth at the center of their offensive line.

So far, some of their young options have obviously stepped up as Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany both claimed starting spots on the team's first depth chart.

However, it seems this offseason hasn't been quite as successful for one of the other young linemen the Lions were hoping would take on a larger role this season.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently said (via The Athletic's Colton Pouncy) that lineman Giovanni Manu has had "more downs than ups" in training camp.

Dan Campbell says there have been more downs than ups for Giovanni Manu so far in training camp, but thinks his last practice before the game and then his performance in the Hall of Fame game were both better. Starting to stack some days
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) August 3, 2025

This could explain why the Lions just added Justin Herron, who didn't take a snap last season, but has some experience at left tackle.

The Lions spent a fourth-round pick on Manu last year, but he never ended up seeing the field during the regular season as a rookie.

At the start of this offseason there was some talk about him potentially being a part of the competition for the team's vacant right guard spot.

That no longer seems to be the case, but he could still earn himself a depth role at tackle on this squad.

That was the hope when the Lions drafted him as it was going to be tough for him to ever crack the stating lineup with the talent the Lions had available on the O-line when they drafted him.

Luckily, Campbell made it clear that Manu's best performances have come recently, so he appears to be trending in the right direction.

It already looks like their decision to select one offensive lineman later in the 2024 draft is going to pay off for the Lions with Mahogany. Maybe Manu can make them two for two despite it not always being smooth sailing this offseason.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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