The Detroit Lions needed somebody to settle their suddenly uncertain situation at center.
Juice Scruggs may have done exactly that.
Scruggs started at center in Detroit’s 17-13 preseason victory over the Washington Commanders and followed weeks of competition with perhaps his strongest argument yet for the job. With Cade Mays expected to miss the start of the regular season because of a fractured wrist, Scruggs now appears positioned to open Week 1 in the middle of the Lions’ offensive line.
A detailed review of Scruggs’ performance against Washington found encouraging work in both Detroit’s running game and pass protection, with his awareness and ability to operate in multiple blocking schemes standing out. The film breakdown of Scruggs’ performance concluded that the competition with Seth McLaughlin may already be nearing its end.
That would be a significant development for an offensive line that lost its preferred starter less than two weeks ago.
Scruggs Has Taken Control of the Opportunity
Mays was one of Detroit’s biggest offseason additions, signing a three-year, $25 million contract to take over at center. His wrist injury changed those plans when NFL Network reported that he had fractured a small bone and was expected to miss roughly eight to 10 weeks.
The Lions initially had several possible replacements.
McLaughlin received first-team work while Scruggs was sidelined by a soft-tissue injury. Michael Niese had center experience, and Dan Campbell also said Tate Ratledge could receive work there if needed.
As we noted when Campbell outlined Detroit’s options after Mays went down, the Lions were prepared to experiment until they found their best combination.
Scruggs has made that experimentation considerably less complicated.
He returned to practice Aug. 15 and immediately took every first-team center rep.
“It’s just another opportunity. Next man up and I’m ready,” Scruggs said.
Against Washington, Scruggs showed why Detroit was comfortable giving him that opportunity. His work at the second level stood out in the run game, and his communication in pass protection looked clean as he worked between Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge.
Detroit does not need Scruggs to become Frank Ragnow.
It needs the offense to function normally while Mays recovers.
So far, Scruggs looks capable of providing that.
The Montgomery Trade Could Pay Off in an Unexpected Way
Scruggs was not originally acquired to become Detroit’s emergency starting center.
The Lions received him from Houston in the offseason deal that sent David Montgomery to the Texans. Detroit also received a fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round selection. Scruggs arrived with 37 career appearances and 20 starts while having experience at all three interior offensive line positions. Detroit’s official announcement of the Montgomery trade
That versatility looked like useful depth in March.
In August, it may be protecting Detroit from a much larger problem.
Mays’ injury initially created concern because center had already been one of the Lions’ biggest offseason priorities. Jared Goff acknowledged the difficulty of losing Mays as Detroit began rotating replacement options through the position.
Scruggs has now received the first-team work, started against Washington and put together the kind of performance that gives the coaching staff little reason to make another change.
There is one preseason game remaining, and Detroit does not have to announce anything yet. McLaughlin can still make another push, and the Lions could always add another lineman after roster cuts around the league.
The current direction is becoming difficult to miss.
Unless something changes during the final week of the preseason, Juice Scruggs looks like the man who will snap the football to Jared Goff when Detroit opens the regular season.
