The Lions are taking the prudent approach with Frank Ragnow.
While their Pro Bowl center would play through a partially-torn pec next week if they let him, the Lions are shutting him down for their Week 4 game against the Seahawks, Dan Campbell said Thursday.
"We’re going to put Frank down this week. I’ll go ahead and get that out of the way. We can go around and around if we want. We’re not even going to mess with that."
Ragnow suffered the injury early in the Lions' win over the Cardinals last week and didn't miss a snap in helping the offense rush for nearly 200 yards. Campbell said Tuesday that Ragnow was pushing to play through it again.
But with the Lions' bye coming in Week 5, it makes sense to give Ragnow two full weeks of rest before determining if he can return for their Week 6 game at Dallas. A partially-torn pec is generally a three-to-four week absence. A fully-torn pec would likely be a season ender.
"Frank’s as tough as nails. If anyone can play through it, it’s him. I think we gotta be smart," said Campbell. "It’s early in the year. We got a lot of football left."
The Lions figure to slide guard Graham Glasgow to center in the interim, as they did when Ragnow missed time last season. Glasgow has the experience at the position to handle the job.
Ragnow, 28, has played through numerous injuries in the NFL, most notably a fractured throat in 2020. He's also battled a chronic toe injury since 2021, on top of knee and back issues last season.
He's as tough as they come, but the Lions are doing the smart thing by taking the decision out of his hands.