Christian Mahogany is headed back to the Lions’ starting left guard spot in Week 10 after sitting out the first unit in Week 9 because of a “rules violation,” Dan Campbell said Wednesday.
“Mahogany is going to go out there (today), and he’s going to start with the first unit,” Campbell said at his press conference.
The move puts Mahogany back where he had earned his way earlier this season. After a delayed start to his career because of mono that cost him the first half of his rookie year, he won the left guard job in his second season before a broken left leg knocked him off track.
He had trouble settling back in after that. This year, in year three, Mahogany won the job again and has looked far more comfortable with his health issues behind him.
PFF has him ranked 13th among guards in the NFL, with a top-10 grade as a pass blocker.
His benching came before the Week 9 matchup with the Dolphins, when he broke an undisclosed team rule. Miles Frazier took over at left guard and had a rough opening stretch, with holding penalties, pressure allowed, and little push in the run game. He did settle in during the second half, but the Lions’ offensive line still contributed to several stalled or shortened drives early.
Campbell said right after the game that Mahogany had committed a team rule violation, but the benching was not necessarily permanent. On Monday, he said the two had talked it through and that “we’re good” moving forward, while making it clear the next step is on Mahogany to prove he can move past the mistake.
In Other News...
Lions Face The Same Patriots Problem New England Couldn't Fix
The NFL trade deadline came and went with little movement for either Detroit or New England, leaving the Lions with just one notable addition in safety Andre Cisco and the Patriots still standing pat despite a roster that had obvious holes. For Detroit, the bigger takeaway is what did not change: the matchup in Munich now arrives with both teams largely intact from where they were before the deadline, which means the Lions are preparing for a familiar opponent rather than a reshaped one.
New Englands inactivity matters because the Patriots were already dealing with offense-wide injury concerns and had needs in several spots, yet they chose not to address them with a deal. The result is a game that should again lean heavily on Drake Maye, with the Patriots set to be without key running backs and forced to navigate the Lions with the same personnel issues that made the deadline such a missed opportunity in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Quiet Deadline Leaves One Big NFC North Concern Unanswered
Detroits trade deadline ended with a familiar mix of patience and unease, as the Lions made only one addition in backup safety Andre Cisco while leaving their cornerback situation untouched. In a division where the margin for error keeps shrinking, that kind of restraint stood out even more because the rest of the NFC North did not sit still, with Chicago, Minnesota and Green Bay all making moves or preparing for key reinforcements.
The bigger question now is whether the Lions are simply betting on internal help to arrive soon enough to matter. Kerby Josephs return could be close, and if it comes in time, it may function as the defenses real late-season boost. Until then, though, Detroit is left hoping its quiet deadline does not become the thing that leaves its secondary exposed when the games tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Holmes Just Put The Lions Roster On The Line
The Lions entered the trade deadline with obvious room to strengthen the defense, especially after the season took another hit at linebacker and the cornerback group remained a point of concern. Instead of chasing help, Brad Holmes and the front office made a single move, bringing in defensive back Andre Cisco from the New York Jets, then held steady while several NFC rivals pushed harder to reshape their rosters.
It was a clear bet on the group already in place, along with the draft capital Detroit has preserved for bigger swings later. For a team trying to stay in the thick of the NFC race, the choice says as much about confidence in the current locker room as it does about the market around them, and it leaves the Lions carrying the same questions they had before deadline day. [Read more 🡒]