Detroit Lions 2026 Roster Bubble: Offensive Linemen

The Detroit Lions will enter the 2026 season with a new-look offensive line.

Out are longtime left tackle Taylor Decker and center Graham Glasgow, and in are former Panthers interior offensive lineman Cade Mays and rookie offensive tackle Blake Miller.

Mays is expected to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Glasgow, while Miller will slide in at right tackle allowing All-Pro OT Penei Sewell to shift over to left tackle.

Meanwhile, it’s expected that Mays, arguably Detroit GM Brad Holmes’ biggest pickup of the offseason, will be flanked by Christian Mahogany at left guard and Tate Ratledge at right guard.

Ratledge, a second-year pro out of Georgia, earned a 73.5 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025. It was good for the 12th-best mark among all guards and the second-highest mark among first-year guards.

Mahogany, meanwhile, experienced a more uneven campaign than Ratledge last season. The Boston College product earned a 67.2 PFF run-blocking grade, but just a 59.1 overall mark (46th out of 81 qualified guards).

The third-year pro will need to show signs of improvement this upcoming season, and should be pushed by offseason acquisition Juice Scruggs all training camp long.

Scruggs, acquired by the Lions from the Houston Texans in the David Montgomery trade, is a versatile interior lineman with the ability to line up both at guard and center. He should be a solid depth piece for offensive line coach Hank Fraley’s unit in 2026.

Fellow offseason acquisition Larry Borom, a Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice High School product, also profiles as a resourceful reserve lineman.

He has experience playing both tackle spots, making him a useful swing lineman for Fraley’s position group.

All in all, the additions should equate to a net positive for the Lions’ offensive line, which took a step back a season ago both in run-blocking and protecting veteran quarterback Jared Goff.

Roster bubble

After those five starters and Scruggs and Borom, Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch and Giovanni Manu should be most in the mix for snaps along the offensive line.

Manu, the first of two fourth-round picks for Detroit in 2024, will have to definitely earn his spot on the team’s season-opening roster, though.

The third-year pro has failed to make much of an impact thus far in his NFL career, appearing in just four total games and making one start at left tackle (all of which came in 2025).

The University of British Columbia product has plenty of work ahead of him in training camp, and likely will need a strong showing in order to fend off the likes of Colby Sorsdal and Frazier and Bartch.

Devin Cochran, who previously suited up for the Bengals, will also vie for snaps at offensive tackle, while undrafted free agent Seth McLaughlin, also a member of the Bengals in 2025, will also be in the mix for reps at center.

The Lions are also equipped with interior offensive linemen Mason Miller, Michael Niese and Melvin Priestly headed into training camp.

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