T.J. Lang: 'I Was Proud of Frank Ragnow' Making Decision to Retire

The Detroit Lions' offensive line took a major hit with the retirement of center Frank Ragnow.

In hanging up the cleats, Ragnow ends one of the most decorated careers a Detroit Lions offensive lineman has ever had.

One of his former teammates, T.J. Lang, expressed that he was proud of the Arkansas product for prioritizing his health over the game that he had given so much to over the last seven years.

"I was proud of Frank. I was. I know Frank on a personal level, I was in my last year when he was a rookie. We got to know each other pretty well. I’m not gonna give everything away, but I know what he’s been playing through the last couple of years and the toll that his body has taken," Lang said. "He ultimately got to a decision that if he continued to play hurt — there’s a part of you that feels like, ‘Hey, if I leave, I’m letting the team down. But if I play hurt and I’m not 100 percent, then I’m not reliable and I’m letting the team down.’ I think he made the best decision for himself and his family, and I would never discourage someone from doing that. So I was proud of Frank."

While the absence of Ragnow will create a big void, Lang believes that training camp will provide a lot of answers. Having Graham Glasgow's experience will certainly help, as will the reps that rookie Tate Ratledge will be able to take while the coaching staff evaluates where he'll be best.

“Well look, I think you’re gonna have to figure it out a week or two into training camp who’s gonna be the guy," said Lang. "I think they’re in a good spot knowing that maybe the fail-safe is Graham Glasgow, who has played a ton of games and a ton of reps at center. I think they maybe want to give Tate an opportunity just to see what he can do. If it’s a little bit too big for him, which happens to a lot of rookies, then I think Graham’s that best option there."

Lang also noted that the responsibilities that Ragnow had are not always the same that every NFL center has. As a result, he believes the Lions can pass around some of those tasks in terms of protection calls and assignments to other leaders in the group.

Among the players who could step up and take on more include Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, both of whom have established themselves as mainstays within the organization.

"I was grateful for the seven years he gave to this team and hopefully he can find some good health here in retirement and start to recover a little bit," Lang explained. "That offensive line is gonna be fine. I know a lot of people say, ‘That’s the guy, he’s got to make all the calls and talk to the quarterback.’ It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s like that when you have a center like Frank. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can put some of that on the guards, you can put some of that on Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, who are leaders in that room, to go out there and make some calls."