Lions already have an injury replacement for Cade Mays

Detroit Lions center Cade Mays. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lions already have an injury replacement for Cade Mays

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Aug 10, 2026 12:57 PM ET

The Detroit Lions' struggles at center continue. One year after losing Frank Ragnow to sudden retirement and after Graham Glasgow's struggles, they'll now be without Cade Mays.

The former Carolina Panthers center suffered a small fracture in his wrist, and he'll miss 8-10 weeks, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

In the meantime, the Lions will have to turn to a far less experienced option to hold down the fort.

According to Lions beat writer Jeremy Reisman, the Lions have already found their next man up.

Seth McLaughlin is the Lions' potential Cade Mays replacement

"With Juice Scruggs still nursing a soft tissue injury for a few more days, Dan Campbell says Seth McLaughlin is likely to get first-team reps at center today," Reisman wrote.

With Juice Scruggs still nursing a soft tissue injury for a few more days, Dan Campbell says Seth McLaughlin is likely to get first-team reps at center today.
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) August 10, 2026

The Lions acquired Scruggs from the Houston Texans in the David Montgomery trade.

McLaughlin, on the other hand, is a former undrafted free agent out of Ohio State from the class of 2025, and he just signed a futures deal with the team this offseason.

While this is far from ideal, it's not like there are many options available at this point in the offseason.

And while head coach Dan Campbell didn't want to commit to a potential return date, the fact that Mays is still expected to come back this season should be encouraging enough for this team to avoid pulling off a big trade.

The Lions gave Mays a three-year, $25 million contract this offseason, and this certainly isn't what they were hoping for.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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