How Detroit Lions Signing Cade Mays Impacts Draft Plans

Addressing center position takes pressure off of Lions in NFL draft.

Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays (64). | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions appear to have found their center of the future.

On Monday, the Lions agreed to a contract with former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays. Per reports, the Lions' deal with Mays is worth $25 million with $14 million guaranteed over three seasons.

The signing takes some weight off of Lions' general manager Brad Holmes, who entered the offseason with multiple needs to address. Particularly, the Lions needed to replace two starters on the offensive line with Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker both being released.

In Mays, the Lions have a solution for the departer of Glasgow as well as Frank Ragnow, who retired last offseason. Ragnow's abrupt retirement pushed Glasgow and Tate Ratledge into a competition for the center spot, with Ratledge sliding back to right guard and Glasgow starting at center.

Detroit further buckled down on its offensive linemen with an agreement to sign veteran offensive lineman Larry Borom. Another experienced signing, Borom currently projects as depth at either guard or tackle.

This continues a commitment Detroit has made to retooling its offensive line, as they also acquired interior lineman Juice Scruggs in the David Montgomery trade.

The loss of Ragnow was a big one, and Glasgow was an adequate but unspectacular replacement. As a four-time Second Team All-Pro selection, Ragnow left big shoes that were always going to be tough to fill. Glasgow struggled, to the tune of a 56.8 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus.

Mays has been mostly a spot starter through the first four seasons of his career, though his role increased dramatically in 2025. He appeared in 14 games, making 12 starts and asserting himself as a viable starting option in this year's class of free agents.

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During the 2025 season, Mays earned a 61.0 overall offensive grade for his performance. He graded out slightly better as a pass-protector, with a 67.6 grade in that area compared to a 58.3 mark as a run-blocker.

This signing takes plenty of pressure off of the Lions in the draft, as they no longer have to look for a starting caliber center in the draft. Furthermore, the Lions can keep Ratledge at right guard and Christian Mahogany on the left side.

It had been a tough offseason for Detroit, as the team lost two starters. Graham Glasgow was released, and Taylor Decker requested his release on Friday. Mays can be Glasgow's replacement, and Borom and Scruggs will likely compete for snaps at their respective positions.

Scruggs will likely be competing with Ratledge and Mahogany at guard, while Borom will compete with Gio Manu to start opposite of Sewell if the team doesn't add another tackle in the draft. Miles Frazier is a 2025 sixth-round pick who could also compete for interior snaps after getting a taste of the action as a rookie.

Other competition for Mays includes Seth McLaughlin, a 2025 undrafted rookie who was nursing an injury suffered in his final year at Ohio State. McLaughlin signed a futures contract this offseason after spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad last year.

As a result, the Mays signing can be interpreted as one of the team's biggest moves of the offseason, even if it is still early in this process. He gives the team more flexibility to focus on other areas, with one of those also being on the offensive line at the tackle position.

Detroit could still seek out a potential backup at center in the draft, with the potential to draft someone who has the versatility to play any of the three interior line spots. However, it is no longer one of the team's biggest needs with the external addition of a starter.

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