Grading The Lions’ Signing Of Cade Mays: What’s good and what’s concerning

Grading the Lions’ biggest free agent move so far

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers guard Cade Mays (64) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Now that the dust has settled on the Detroit Lions’ signing of Cade Mays. Let’s dig into the move and put a grade on it. Let’s talk about the good and the concerning.

The Good

There’s a lot to like about the signing of Mays. He’s still 26 years old and presents the opportunity for the Lions to not only have a guy at center in 2026, but could also be the guy in 2027, 2028, and maybe beyond if it all works out. It’s just one less thing the Lions have to theoretically worry about in the draft in April.

Mays is a very good pass blocker. In fact, he might be a better pass blocker than Tyler Linderbaum, who got three times the money that Mays got. He graded out higher and allowed fewer pressures and sacks in this area.

Speaking of a third of the Linderbuam contract. Mays is getting $25 million over the course of three seasons, while Linderbaum gets $27 million in 2026 alone. The Lions got Mays at a steal for sure. This should allow them to sign more players as we move forward.

The Concerning

For starters, the run-blocking needs work for sure. Mays took a step back in that area in 2025, and seeing as though the Lions are primarily a run-first team and want to continue to be a run-first team, he needs to make sure he gets back on the right track in that area, and he needs to do it immediately.

The other thing is that Mays hadn’t been a starter in the NFL until 2025. He came off the bench in his three previous seasons in Carolina. Not only did he come off the bench, but the Panthers actually had him playing left tackle and left and right guard during his first two seasons. So he’s only really been an NFL center for two seasons.

Still, he picked up on it quickly after playing tackle at Tennessee. The concern here is whether the Lions are getting a center who is good at the position, or are they getting a guy who overachieved? It’s a valid question.

Grade

At the end of the day, there are a lot more things to feel good about, and I do believe that the interior he played with in Carolina struggled against the run as a whole unit. He’s in better hands with Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany. With all that in mind, I’m giving this a B+.

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