The Lions are making a bold decision by playing rookie Tate Ratledge at center. Is it the right one?
One of the biggest questions entering Detroit Lions training camp has seemingly already been answered before the team even puts on pads.
Without a doubt, the Lions’ solution to losing Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler was the most interesting part of the offseason. The engine that runs the team is their offensive line, and without an answer that will succeed, the Lions will struggle to find their identity.
Through three practices, it certainly seems like the Lions have decided on an answer. In every single practice, the starting lineup has been the same:
LT: Dan Skipper (filling in for injured Taylor Decker)
LG: Christian Mahogany
C: Tate Ratledge
RG: Graham Glasgow
RT: Penei Sewell
On Tuesday, coach Dan Campbell talked about the significant decision to play Ratledge, their second-round pick, at center—somewhere he didn’t log a snap at during his college career.
“We’re putting a lot on him. He’s drinking out of a fire hose right now. But there are things that we saw with him in college at Georgia that we felt like, ‘You know what? We think this guy can play center,’” Campbell said. “We knew it was going to take some time. When that’s something you haven’t done in games, it’s going to take a minute. But he has practiced it and he’s gotten a lot of reps at Georgia playing center against some really good competition out there in the spring and stuff, so.
“Anyway, so we’re excited. Like I said, we’ll see where it goes. All he’s got to do is keep working. It’s only two days, I like where it’s been versus the spring. It already feels better, it already feels more natural.”
Now, Campbell has also said they’re comfortable with this move, knowing that they have Glasgow to fall back upon at center, if needed, but Glasgow recently told the Detroit Free Press that he’s been told, for the time being, he will only rep at right guard .
In other words, it’s clear the Lions are intending on keeping their rookie at center. So today’s Question of the Day is:
Is playing Tate Ratledge at center the right decision?
My answer: While I’m certainly not 100% opposed to it and I don’t have all the scouting information that Detroit has—particularly from Ratledge’s days at Georgia repping as the backup center—I think it’s fair to point out the significant risk of this move.
While center isn’t Glasgow’s best position, it’s one he’s more than familiar with, and his extensive NFL experience would allow him to handle the mental aspects of the job with relative ease. That’s the safe move for Detroit, and it would allow Ratledge to start his career at a more comfortable position. Given the importance of the 2025 season, this certainly seems like the more logical move.
But if Detroit has their center of the future in Ratledge, it may make sense to just get him into the position right now. Center is a drastically important position, and the quickest way to get a player to develop is to give him reps there. If this gamble pays off, Detroit will have filled one of their most devastating personnel losses in a matter of a single offseason.
Still, it would have made just as much sense to give Ratledge the Ragnow rookie treatment: Play him at guard his rookie year to not overload his plate, then next year consider the move to center. That said, if the Lions are willing to risk giving Ratledge this much responsibility in his first NFL season, maybe they know something about the rookie that we don’t.
What do you think about this decision? Vote in the poll below and then share your reasoning in the comment section below.