According to Aaron Schatz of ESPN, the Detroit Lions’ greatest roster deficiency is still right guard, despite picking one in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. Ratledge was seen as one of the NFL’s poorest pass-protection guards and as being below par in run blocking.
When the Lions chose Ratledge in the second round, it was not immediately obvious that he was a significant enhancement. Lions were intrigued by Ratledge because he was young, had a cost-controlled deal for the next four years, and displayed enough physical qualities to become an impact player in the future.
In the process of having to redesign their offensive line, Detroit made it considerably younger. Frank Ragnow, Taylor Decker, Kevin Zeitler, and Graham Glasgow made up their line two years ago. Ragnow has retired, and the remaining three players are still free agents since few anticipate them having much gas in the tank.
Blake Miller, Christian, and Cade Mays were all signed by the Lions.
For them, Ratledge and Mahogany. The other three were draft picks, while Mays is a free agent who is 27 years old. It’s evident that the Lions’ goal was to enhance long-term stability and become younger, not to make an immediate improvement on the line.
Tate Ratledge Is Expected to Develop by Detroit Lions
So that he can advance in his second season, the squad supported him through the highs and lows of his rookie year. Therefore, even if he is the biggest roster problem for the Lions, the Lions are unlikely to go out of their way to replace him before allowing him a fair opportunity to make significant progress in his second year.
In addition to that, Mahogany only made 12 starts in his first two years, starting in only 11 games last year, even though he might have shined more as a rookie. Due to the fact that he was selected in the draft much later and a year earlier than Ratledge, his leash should also be shorter. At both positions, the Lions might discover vacancies.
The defense of the Detroit Lions has a hole in the lineup.
It’s difficult to argue that those guard places should be changed because they have young and untested players in both positions, but both positions are up for grabs. The secondary in Detroit may benefit from anything they do. DJ Reed missed six games last season, and Terrion Arnold missed ten. An Achilles tendon injury that caused Brian Branch to miss five games will also postpone the beginning of his 2026 season. Additionally, Kerby Joseph missed 11 games with a major knee ailment that might prevent him from playing at the start of the campaign. Amik Robertson, who was their fifth secondary member from last year, departed in free agency. The Titans benched him and traded him to the Rams, who also didn’t start him, after signing Roger McCreary as a replacement.
So, all five of their starting players have major concerns heading into 2026. This is where the roster gap is.
