The Detroit Lions’ offensive line is heading into training camp with a lot of moving parts, and left guard might be the messiest spot of all.
Cade Mays looks set at center, rookie Blake Miller is penciled in at right tackle, and if Miller isn’t ready right away, veteran free agent signing Larry Borum could hold that job down until he is. That leaves Christian Mahogany, who is currently projected as the starter at left guard, in a fight to keep his place.
Mahogany’s 2024 season never fully got back on track after a left leg injury cost him six games. Even when he returned, it was obvious he wasn’t operating at full strength. Still, Dan Campbell made it clear at minicamp that the job is not locked up.
“It’s open. Look, Mahogany is very much in that.
He played a couple games for us in '24, and then he started for us until he had the injury, came back, started again. So we know he’s got ability, he’s got potential.
But there’s a reason why we brought in (Ben) Bartch, there's a reason why (Miles) Frazier's here, there's a reason why all those guys are in there. We might try (Giovanni) Manu a little bit."
"I mean, we’re going to let this thing go and see what happens. It'll be good.
It'll be good for all of them. When you have someone nipping at your heels constantly, or you're having to compete and push, and you all are competing for the same thing, it’s good for everybody."
Giovanni Manu doesn’t look like a real threat for the job, at least not on paper. He appears to be hanging onto a roster spot and sitting on the wrong side of the bubble as camp opens. But Campbell’s comments still felt like a warning shot aimed at Mahogany.
Then came Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton, who took things a step further in his prediction of each NFL team’s biggest bust in 2026. For Detroit, he picked Mahogany.
“In two seasons, Christian Mahogany has started in 12 out of 18 games. He appeared in a lead role at left guard for 11 contests last year, but the third-year pro didn't do enough to guarantee his spot for the upcoming campaign.”
“According to Pro Football Focus, Mahogany allowed six sacks over 407 pass-blocking snaps. Because of his subpar pass protection, the Lions could make a change at left guard,”
One other name to keep in mind is Juice Scruggs, the interior lineman the Lions got from the Houston Texans in the David Montgomery trade. Campbell didn’t mention him when talking about the left guard competition, which could mean he was simply left out or that the team views him more as a swing backup.
Either way, Mahogany has real competition in front of him. He still has a path to win the job, but with camp about to sort everything out, Moton’s harsh prediction only adds more heat to an already crowded battle.
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Juice Scruggs arrived in Detroit with a chance to carve out a useful role on the interior offensive line, and for much of camp he still looks like the kind of reserve a team wants to keep around. He can help at center and has been part of the conversation at guard, which normally would make him a fairly sturdy piece of the depth chart for a team trying to protect itself over a long season.
But the Lions have built real competition inside, and that is where Scruggs' situation gets tricky. Christian Mahogany, Miles Frazier, Ben Bartch, Giovanni Manu, Colby Sorsdal, Michael Niese and Seth McLaughlin are all in the mix, and when a roster has that much traffic at one spot, even a player with a legitimate backup case can feel the pressure if camp goes sideways. [Read more 🡒]
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Penei Sewell sits at the center of that discussion, and it is hard to ignore how quickly he has become the kind of foundational piece evaluators use when they start projecting legacy rather than just impact. The bigger question for Detroit is not whether the roster has elite talent, but which of these players can keep stacking seasons, honors and milestones long enough to turn a promising core into something with a real Canton case. [Read more 🡒]
NFL Insiders Just Reignited The Jared Goff Respect Debate
ESPNs latest quarterback rankings for 2026 put Jared Goff right back in familiar territory, with NFL executives, coaches and scouts slotting the Lions passer ninth among the leagues best. It was a steady showing for Goff, who drew praise for his mechanics, toughness and decision-making, and it matched his standing from the previous year as Detroit continues to lean on his steadiness at the position.
The list also offered a fresh snapshot of the NFC North pecking order, with Caleb Williams cracking the top 10 for the first time and Jordan Love again settling for honorable mention. For Goff, the broader takeaway is that the league still sees him as one of the more dependable quarterbacks in football, even if the debate around exactly where he belongs never quite goes away. [Read more 🡒]