Detroit Lions' 2x Pro Bowler not expected to be 100% by Week 1

Now that Aaron Rodgers has departed the NFC North, there’s a sense the division is wide open. For a team like the Detroit Lions, who won eight of their final ten matchups last season, their eyes are set on taking the divisional crown from the Minnesota Vikings.

There’s a strong sense that after making several more offseason improvements, including Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the Lions are in position to win the NFC North for the first time since 1993. The Barry Sanders days.

To do so, the Lions will naturally need a 28th-ranked defense to improve from last season. But they’ll also need to see their fifth-ranked offense carry over into 2023 too. The additions of Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta could help, but there’s another situation that bears watching as the season draws near.

Two-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow is dealing with a ‘severe’ turf toe injury, and he’s not expected to be back to 100% by the start of the regular season. The 20th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft recently discussed his current situation:

“It’s a deal where it’s kind of inoperable, so it’s something we’re trying to navigate. But hopefully it’s not going to be anything near the altitude of last year, where it was, like, brutal. There’s no healthy tissue left, so it would have to be an experimental procedure to get that done. And that’s not something NFL offensive linemen are in the business of (trying).”
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow on his turf toe

That doesn’t sound like a fun situation for anyone to deal with. Yet, despite the pain, Ragnow intends to play through the injury for the upcoming season. While it’s not ideal, the sixth-year pro has been here before.

Unfortunately, it’s an injury the 27-year-old has been managing since Week 4 of the 2021 season, which knocked him out for 13 games after surgery and a long rehabilitation process. But then Ragnow re-injured the toe in Week 1 of last season. Yet somehow, he continued to play, starting 16 games and even making the Pro Bowl again.