The Detroit Lions have featured one of the NFL's best offensive lines in recent years.
In 2024, they consistently opened up running lanes for their backfield and held opposing pass rushes to just 33 sacks while being led by three Pro Bowlers.
The unit is going to look a lot different in 2025.
Kevin Zeitler left in free agency.
Now Frank Ragnow has decided to retire.
The Lions are now looking at the interior of their offensive line consisting of an aging Graham Glasgow and two players with a year or less of NFL experience.
Glasgow showed signs of decline last season and The Lions Wire's Jeff Risdon revealed that he didn't think Glasgow would make the roster before the Ragnow news.
Now he could be changing positions for the 2025 season to start for the Lions,
The options to take the other positions could be good. Christian Mahogany was solid in his spot starts last season and Tate Ratledge was taken in round two for a reason.
The problem is that we just have no idea what to expect from these two or Giovanni Manu and Miles Frazier.
It makes the decision to let Zeitler take a $9 million deal elsewhere look even worse than it did at the time.
Luckily for the Lions, their division isn't exactly loaded with defensive interiors that strike fear into the hearts of their opponents.
However, they'll run into some of the league's best interior defenders in other key matchups against the Chiefs, Ravens, Rams, Buccaneers and Eagles.
Those last three teams could be particularly troublesome for the Lions' hopes of contending for a Super Bowl.
The Bucs, Rams, and Eagles were all playoff teams last season and the Eagles are currently the favorites to win the NFC again in 2025.
Last season, it was their defensive front that really swung the Super Bowl as they kept Patrick Mahomes on the run. They've lost Milton Williams, but Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter are still going to be a problem for opponents.
If the Lions can get through the top D-lines they'd face in the NFC, they'd then potentially run into star defenders like Chris Jones or Nnamdi Madubuike out of the AFC.
The Lions should have no issues dealing with any of these teams on the outside with Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker at the tackle spots, but if the interior offensive line becomes a weakness, it could be a big problem against the NFL's elite.
The Lions should still be a very good team even with their O-line uncertainty, but for them to reach the Super Bowl that has eluded the franchise for so long, their young guards are going to need to be very good very quickly.
