The Detroit Lions received a significant boost to their offensive line on Tuesday. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, second-year center Frank Ragnow is back at practice for the first time since leaving the team's Week 3 preseason loss against the Buffalo Bills.
With Ragnow returning, the Lions moved right guard Graham Glasgow back to his initially intended position; he filled in at center when Ragnow was gone. Now, head coach Matt Patricia can game plan for the Arizona Cardinals — the team they will play in Week 1 on September 8.
Patricia, a defensive innovator, knows that his offensive line with Ragnow back will have a tough test on Sunday. Though the Cardinals went 3-13 in 2018, they boast an aggressive pass-rush led by Chandler Jones and free agency addition Terrell Suggs. Patricia said, via Birkett:
“Suggs’ speed off the edge, his ability to turn the corner, speed-to-power pass rush, the ability to come underneath and counter, very aggressive pass rusher. And then Chandler has a full arsenal of weapons that he uses on the edge. He can kind of line up everywhere, from that standpoint. So we have to be ready for both of those guys to be in different positions across the line of scrimmage to be able to handle them. It’s a real difficult task when you have two edge guys like that coming at you from a protection standpoint.”
Containing both Jones and Suggs won't be easy for the Lions' offensive line. However, having Ragnow back should help immensely.
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