What Detroit Lions Are Getting in OL Juice Scruggs

After consistent reports of running back David Montgomery getting shopped, a deal finally broke on Monday. The Detroit Lions sent the 28-year-old to Houston for a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2027 seventh-round pick, and interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.

That type of return is a massive haul for Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, and it helps shape the future of this team. A player and two draft selections can help Detroit in a multitude of ways, especially with the extra fourth-round selection.

However, the player in the deal, Juice Scruggs, finds himself overlooked when discussing the trade. Here is some background information on Scruggs and what the Lions get with him.

Low risk, high reward player

Scruggs entered the league in 2023, being taken in the second round and no. 62 overall out of Penn State. He was viewed as a strong run blocker with versatility coming out of the Big 10, with the main praise being his ability on double teams.

In the NFL, he has played in 37 career games, with 20 being starts. Last season, Scruggs took a backup role with the Texans, playing in all 17 games but only starting once.

Scruggs enters the final season of his rookie contract and has seen action at all three interior offensive line positions during his time in the NFL. He has played 950 snaps at left guard, 568 at center, and 143 at right guard, per PFF.

In his only season as a majority starter, in 2024, Scruggs played around league average, recording numbers that ranked 21st among all guards for total PFF grades, and 26th in both individual run block and pass block grades, respectively.

This season, as a player that came in sparingly, he took a massive step back. Scruggs ranked in the bottom five for overall PFF grades and run block grades among 81 guards. However, he only played half the amount of snaps to skew sample size, and was stuck checking into games inconsistently.

In Detroit, one thing that Scruggs must clean up is discipline, as he had been whistled for holding seven times in his 37-game career, along with three false start penalties. In his one season as a majority starter, he was whistled for five penalties in 13 games.

How Scruggs Impacts the Lions Roster

As mentioned before, Scruggs enters on effectively a one-year deal as part of the trade. He is a player fighting to earn a second contract, and can push Christian Mahogany, Graham Glasgow, and Miles Frazier for playing time at the interior guard and center spots.

Scruggs has played right guard the least during his pro career, which likely leaves that spot for Ratledge now, as Scruggs has a season of playing center in the NFL under his belt if he wins the spot in camp.

Additionally, with Scruggs only being signed for a single season and the lack of proven production, he does not rule out another draft selection or two for the interior group. He also can start in place of a potential injured draft selection, namely Auburn’s Connor Lew, who informally met with the Lions at the NFL Combine.

In the worst case scenario, Scruggs is a one-year backup or a practice squad player. In the best case, he earns a second contract and builds the competition in the room. He was the ideal selection that provides the competition that Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes each mentioned at the NFL Combine press conferences.