Longtime Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement on Monday, leaving behind a seismic hole in the team’s offensive line.
Ragnow battled through lingering injuries throughout his short professional career, all while anchoring one of the best overall units in football and being named to four Pro Bowls. The search for a replacement won’t be easy, especially this late into the offseason.
The Lions will most likely try to fill the void with someone already in the building, but they will need to add some depth regardless of who the starting center is in Week 1. Unfortunately, it’s slim pickings in June.
One available free agent is former Tennessee Titans center Daniel Brunskill.
Brunskill started 10 games at center for the Titans last season, earning average pass block and run block grades from Pro Football Focus for an overall grade of 55.3. That ranked him 50th out of 64 qualifying centers in 2024.
Brunskill also has significant experience at right guard, making him a decent candidate for added offensive line depth depending on how the Lions shift things around post-Ragnow. He is 31, so any deal here would likely be a one-year band-aid.
Connor McGovern is another available center option. Originally drafted by the Broncos in 2016, McGovern has bounced from Denver to the Jets and Saints in the last few years.
Prior to 2023, he started virtually every game he was available for with the Broncos and Jets, also getting some run at guard early on in his time in Denver. Pro Football Focus graded McGovern at 58.9 overall, ranking him 39th in the league in 2024.
If the Lions want to take a shot in the dark with a signing, they could get a younger option in 26-year-old Nick Harris. The Browns drafted Harris in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but multiple knee injuries pushed him out of the lineup and off the team by 2024.
A preseason trade with the Seahawks in 2024 brought Harris back to the Browns, where he started just two games at center. The limited work makes this one of the less-than-inspiring choices available, but Harris’s relative age makes him a depth option that could find a role down the road.
With the choices available, all signs point to the Lions sticking with a guy in-house, but as preseason cuts begin late this summer, there’s a chance some better options for center depth become available.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Limited free agent options for Lions to replace C Frank Ragnow