Detroit Lions fans thought they were getting a Thanksgiving treat when the team announced on Wednesday that center Frank Ragnow was coming out of retirement to re-join the team. Instead, it was a Black Friday purchase made with a declined credit card.
The Lions announced on Saturday morning that Ragnow failed a physical, which revealed that the four-time Pro Bowler had a Grade 3 hamstring strain, and he will now remain unretired. The injury would’ve sidelined Ragnow for the rest of the regular season.
Ragnow, 29, announced his retirement after seven seasons in the league back in June. As the move was a bit of a surprise at the time, it was also a blow to a Lions team seeking to contend for a Super Bowl title. Ragnow was still arguably one of the league’s best interior offensive linemen at the time of his retirement, earning his fourth Pro Bowl honor in 2024. He was also named second-team All-Pro for the third time in his career last season.
Ragnow would’ve joined a Detroit team that’s still in the title hunt. The Lions are off to a 7-5 start, trailing the Chicgao Bears by two games in the NFC North. However, the Lions have been a bit banged up of late, and starting center Graham Glasgow is dealing with a knee injury.
Ragnow graded out as Pro Football Focus’ third-best center for the 2024 season. It credited him for allowing just two sacks and 21 pressures, including the postseason, as he helped the Lions form one of the league’s top offensive lines in recent years.
In addition to Ragnow’s strong performance on the field, he was also arguably the toughest guy in the league prior to his retirement. He played with a partially torn pectoral muscle for much of the 2024 season. In 2023, Ragnow only missed one game after undergoing surgery to repair his meniscus. He later suffered a sprained ankle and knee during the Lions’ NFC Divisional Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that season, but didn’t miss a snap.
But Ragnow’s most memorable instance of prevailing through an injury came in 2020, when he fractured his throat during a game. He played the entirety of the game he suffered that injury, despite not being able to communicate. He wound up missing the next two games.
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