The Lions suddenly have a problem nobody expected at center, and Cade Mays’ return is going to force a fascinating decision
Detroit signed Mays to a three-year, $25 million deal to anchor the offensive line, but Scruggs has made a strong case for keeping the job while Mays recovers from a fractured wrist. Mays’ deal is indeed three years and $25 million with $14 million guaranteed.
The Detroit Lions have a problem they haven’t had in a long time, maybe ever, at one of their most important positions. Center Juice Scruggs has been one of the best centers in the NFL through the first three games of the 2026 season, and the Lions are approaching the window where Cade Mays can return to practice. Detroit signed Mays to a massive deal this offseason to replace the retired Frank Ragnow. Now the question is simple: what do the Lions do when both guys are healthy?
How the Lions got here
If you go back to the start of the offseason, center was the Lions’ most glaring need. Ragnow abruptly retired in June 2025, about three months before the season started. Detroit never really found consistency replacing him that year, which made center one of the Lions’ most glaring needs entering the 2026 offseason. So Detroit went out and landed Mays, one of the biggest free agent signings of the offseason for any team. It’s not the sexiest position, so it didn’t generate a ton of mainstream buzz, but in terms of offensive line signings, there was Tyler Linderbaum and there was Mays right underneath that. Those were the big ones everybody was watching, and the Lions got their guy.
Detroit also traded David Montgomery shortly before the Combine and got back a fourth-round pick along with Juice Scruggs, who had played center at Penn State and done a little of it in Houston. Houston kept trying to make him a guard, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense, because when Scruggs played center, he was actually pretty good at it.
Then Mays went down in training camp. Scruggs was supposed to be fighting for the left guard job all summer alongside Ben Bartsch and Christian Mahogany. Instead, he slid right into center. He’s been there for the second half of training camp and the first three games of the regular season.
Scruggs is the 2nd highest-graded center in the NFL
Here’s the thing. Juice Scruggs is currently the second highest-graded center in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. That changes the entire conversation. On one side, the Lions paid Mays a lot of money, and he was clearly very good at camp before the injury. On the other side, Scruggs has been clearly very good during the regular season and is significantly cheaper.
It was brought up at Allen Park on Monday, the possibility of Mays coming back to practice. Lions coach Dan Campbell made it seem like Mays wanted to play against Carolina on Sunday, which makes sense given his history with the Panthers. But that’s not even allowed yet. He has to miss the first four games. The earliest Mays can return to practice is the week after Carolina, which means next Wednesday.
The timeline and the ramp-up
Even if Mays is eligible to return to practice next week before the Arizona game, Campbell has said returning after the Week 6 bye has kind of always been the goal. So Scruggs would likely get the Carolina game and the Arizona game regardless. Then there’s the bye week, where the Lions can get Mays athletically back to where they want him, but they can’t truly ramp him up because there’s no practice that week. Then comes the Green Bay game.
That Green Bay game is where the real question lives. You would think maybe it’s Mays, but you could also make a case that he’ll really only get two legitimate weeks of practice by then. It’s going to depend on what the Lions consider his ramp-up period needs to be. The good news is they don’t have to rush, because Scruggs is playing at an elite level.
What should the Lions do?
My guess is that when Mays comes back, he’ll take the spot. But Scruggs has played so well that it’s fair to ask how you kick him out of the starting offensive line group. You start wondering about other possibilities. Could Scruggs go fight Mahogany and Bartsch for the left guard job? Other teams are going to be paying attention, too. Come the trade deadline, a team that needs a center might come calling. There are a lot of injured offensive linemen around the league.
I would be on the side that says if you have two very good players at one position, keep both of them, especially on the offensive line. It’s not easy to have multiple starting-caliber players where one can sit on the bench and step in when needed. We know Scruggs can play left guard or right guard if necessary.
Mays’ contract does have an out after the 2027 season, when Detroit could move on with about $3.9 million in dead cap. So while it would appear the Lions are married to him long-term, they’re not entirely locked in. It’s something to think about.
If Scruggs keeps balling out, how do you take him out? You have to ride the hot hand, even if you paid Mays $25 million to be the starter. And if the Lions don’t keep Scruggs long-term, he’s going to be a sought-after free agent come March.
Usually it’s a quarterback controversy. For the Lions, it’s a center controversy. Let’s see where this goes.
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