Lions Discuss 'Tremendous Loss' of Frank Ragnow

“I don’t know if you can think of a better pro,” Skipper said of Ragnow Thursday. “I go way back with Frank. Played at Arkansas, hosted him on his official visit, spent a lot of time with him and man, what a consummate pro. He played through more than most folks will ever know.

“What he’s meant to this organization, it’s hard to put into words. He came in here in the (rebuilding) days, fought through a lot of stuff then – on the field, off the field – and then he’s been a vital part of this turnaround. So, my hat’s off to him. He’ll be seen when he wants to be seen and he’ll be heard from when he wants to be heard from.” 

Ragnow’s retirement leaves a significant hole at the center position, which is expected to now be manned by veteran Graham Glasgow, rookie Tate Ratledge and recent free-agent acquisition Trystan Colon. 

Skipper is readily aware that it will be hard to replace Ragnow’s Pro Bowl-level production.

“It's a tremendous loss,” Skipper told reporters Thursday. “You can't minimize that loss. That puts a huge load on everyone else because he shows up every day. He's the first one in the film room, knocking on the door, figuring out the gameplan. All the weird looks, the weird calls that you fall into, that's on someone else now. He's not here, so collectively as a unit, whoever's playing center, they've got to do that.

“(Jared Goff is) gonna shoulder some of that load, too. But collectively, we all have to band together, find the weak points and stuff, and get better because at the end of the day, the game's gonna go on, long after I'm gone, long after Frank's gone. So, we just have to shoulder the load, pick it up and go from there.”

Speaking of Ratledge, Skipper has been impressed thus far with what he’s seen out of the rookie in OTAs and offseason workouts. And the veteran lineman is happy that Ratledge isn’t trying to be Ragnow (or something he’s not), but instead is attempting to be his own player. 

“He’s grown a lot as a rookie,” Skipper expressed. “You know, this offense, there’s a lot to it. So, he’s getting thrown into it, which is the best way to learn a lot of times. I’m impressed with him and the things he’s doing. He’s going to continue to grow, and we’ll see what happens.”

Along with a new starting center, the Lions will also have a new starting right guard in 2025 due to Kevin Zeitler departing in the offseason to sign with the Tennessee Titans. Second-year pro Christian Mahogany, who started a late-season game at left guard in the place of Glasgow a year ago, is one of the candidates to replace Zeitler.

Mahogany, like his Lions teammates, knows just how hard it will be to replicate Ragnow's production. Yet, he's committed to keeping the offensive line's level of play as high as it was with Ragnow patrolling the middle of it.

"We have a standard in the O-line room," Mahogany said this week. "Frank obviously is Frank, it's hard to replicate that. "But, we have a standard here, as I've learned. Myself, the younger guys, Tate, Miles (Frazier), everyone, they'll learn. Maybe for some of them, it's a little bit quicker. But, we'll be ready, for sure."

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