Dealt a blow via Frank Ragnow ‘s retirement before age 30 , the Lions have now lost two of their starters from a top-shelf 2024 offensive line. Kevin Zeitler ‘s free agency defection (to the Titans) brought the first development here.
The Lions have options at center, considering their draft moves and Graham Glasgow
‘s versatility, but they are adding another piece in the wake of the Ragnow news. Detroit is bringing in Trystan Colon
, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes
. The parties agreed on a one-year deal.
Spending the past two seasons with the Cardinals, Colon started 11 games in that span. The veteran interior lineman spent the first three seasons of his career with the Ravens, stopping over with the Jets during the 2023 offseason. He will now be expected to at least land a job as a swing backup with the Lions.
The Cardinals used Colon primarily at right guard in 2024, re-signing him (on a one-year, $1.75MM ) after initially bringing in the former UDFA in just before the 2023 season started. The Jets had cut Colon, after dangling him in trades, that year. Colon made four starts for the 2023 Cardinals, who used him on 315 snaps at left guard. Although Colon has center experience (from his time in Baltimore), his first-string NFL duty has primarily come at guard.
Colon, who follows defensive tackle Roy Lopez with this Arizona-to-Detroit move , graded impressively during his part-time run as an Arizona starter last season. Pro Football Focus slotted the Mizzou alum 18th overall among guard regulars. Granted, Colon barely saw enough snaps to qualify as such. But the Lions will take a flier on a 27-year-old blocker in light of the Ragnow news.
Ragnow had been the Lions’ top center for six seasons, shifting from guard one year into his career. Replacing a four-time Pro Bowler will not be easy for the Lions, but they did add interior O-linemen in the second and fifth rounds , selecting Tate Ratledge (Georgia) and Miles Frazier (LSU). Ratledge earned All-American acclaim in 2023 and ’24 and started during the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship season. Glasgow has extensive experience at both guard and center, logging starts at each position in Detroit and Denver, while the Lions have also begun cross-training Ratledge at both spots this offseason.