Cade Mays injured his wrist in Sunday’s practice and is expected to miss a significant amount of time, a blow the Detroit Lions absorbed just as they were trying to settle a new center spot. Dan Campbell said Monday that Mays will not be available right away, even though the team still believes he can return in time for the playoffs.
Campbell said Mays had been “having a good camp” and had grown in the system since spring work, which makes the timing especially rough for a player the Lions signed to a three-year, $25 million deal in March. The injury removes one of the team’s most important offseason additions from the mix at a position the Lions already treated as a priority entering the 2026 offseason.
That priority exists for a reason. Frank Ragnow’s sudden retirement came before a significant regression along the line in the 2025 season, and Detroit moved quickly to find help at center. Mays was the only free-agent multi-year signing in that group, a clear sign the Lions hoped he could stabilize the middle of the line after the downturn.
Now the job opens again. Campbell said the Lions are trying to find the best five offensive linemen before the season starts, but also made clear that search may continue into the season if needed. Juice Scruggs, Tate Ratledge, Seth McLaughlin and Michael Niese are among the options, and Campbell said McLaughlin will get an opportunity to show what he can do.
There is still a built-in contradiction in the timeline: Mays is expected to miss a significant stretch, but not the entire run. The injury is serious enough to change the Lions’ immediate plans, yet Campbell’s view is that Mays can still be back for the playoffs. That leaves Detroit with a short-term competition at center and a longer-term hope that the player it just invested in is not lost for the year.
