The good: The Lions joined the 2018 Chiefs, 2013 Broncos, 2007 Patriots and 1984 Dolphins as the only teams in league history to record at least 6,500 yards of offense and 70 touchdowns in a season. That doesn't happen without terrific line play.
Penei Sewell, 24, was named First-Team All-Pro for the second straight season and center Frank Ragnow, 28, was Second-Team All-Pro. Both Sewell and Ragnow are considered two of the best at their respective positions in the NFL. Left tackle Taylor Decker, 31, went to his first Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for Sewell. All three are under contract for 2025.
Detroit was dominant rushing the football this season and that all starts with the big guys upfront. Detroit topped 2,000 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns this season as they rushed for at least 100 yards in 15 contests, which led the NFL. Lions running backs combined to produce 478 rushes for 2,362 yards (4.9 avg.) and 28 touchdowns on the year.
Rookie guard Christian Mahogany was forced into action a couple times this season and the moment didn't seem too big for him. He might be ready for a bigger role in 2025.
Detroit finished third in the NFL in the Stats Inc. Protection Index, which measures offensive line play using different statistical elements like passing attempts and yards (excluding yards after the catch), sacks, quarterback knockdowns, hurries and penalties, including holding and false starts to form a numerical index assigned to each team.
This Lions' o-line was also really good at avoiding penalties in 2024. They ranked fifth with just 13 holding penalties and their 15 false starts were the fourth fewest.
| Name | Games | Penalties | Pressures | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penei Sewell | 17 | 5 | 29 | 0.0 |
| Taylor Decker | 14 | 2 | 32 | 5.5 |
| Frank Ragnow | 16 | 5 | 21 | 1.5 |
| Kevin Zeitler | 16 | 2 | 18 | 4.0 |
| Graham Glasgow | 16 | 5 | 45 | 5.0 |
| Dan Skipper | 17 | 1 | 12 | 1.0 |
| Kayode Awosika | 11 | 2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Christian Mahogany | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Michael Niese | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Jamarco Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Colby Sorsdal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
The bad: Overall Detroit's offensive line graded out better as a run-blocking unit than they were pass blockers. Detroit ranked 10th in both sacks allowed (33) and opponent quarterback hurries (162).
While veteran Kevin Zeitler was graded the sixth best guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus and was a Pro Bowl alternate, veteran Graham Glasgow finished 68th among all guards who played at least 100 snaps this season. His 11 quarterback hits allowed were the second most at the position and his 45 overall pressures allowed were fourth most.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after the season he'll continue to invest in the offensive line as the strength of this team.
Key stat: Detroit was one of the best teams in the NFL at sustaining drives this season. The Lions had the NFL's second lowest 3 & out rate in the NFL behind Atlanta. Out of 182 offensive drives, the Lions went 3 & out just 25 times (13.7 percent).
Free agents: G Kevin Zeitler, T Dan Skipper, G Kayode Awosika (restricted), T Connor Galvin (exclusive rights), OL Michael Niese (exclusive rights)
Zeitler is obviously the big one here. He signed a one-year deal last offseason and was a terrific fit, both from a play style and personality perspective for that room. He was one of the better guards in football this season. How much football does Zeitler have left at 34 years old?
"Yeah, I thought Zeitler did a good job this year," Holmes said after the season. "It's different when you're changing completely different schemes and kind of early on, he kind of had to get used to how we were doing things, but once he got adjusted into that, I thought he did a really good job.
"A player of that age, you've just got to have conversations with him. We had conversations on exit day and then we'll just continue to have dialogue and just kind of see where it goes."
One of the best highlights of the season was Skipper getting that touchdown catch against the Buffalo Bills. He's become a cult hero in Detroit. He played the swing tackle role all season and was good when asked to step in and start at left tackle when Decker was injured.
If Holmes wants to add some veteran talent upfront, there are a number of good offensive linemen set to become free agents in March. Some of those names include guard Trey Smith (Kansas City), tackle Ronnie Stanley (Baltimore), tackle Cam Robinson (Minnesota), guard Will Fries (Indianapolis), IOL Drew Dalman (Atlanta), guard Teven Jenkins (Chicago), OL Mekhi Becton (Philadelphia), guard James Daniels (Pittsburgh) and tackle Alaric Jackson (LA Rams). Veteran Zack Martin, 34, from the Cowboys could be a short-term option as well.
View photos of the Detroit Lions offensive linemen from the 2024 NFL season.
Detroit Lions guard Kayode Awosika (74) during an NFL preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 17, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 27, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Taylor Decker (68) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Kingsley Eguakun (65) during an NFL preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 24, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 30, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Jamarco Jones (72) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 24, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Christian Mahogany (73) before an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Christian Mahogany (73) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 22, 2024 in Chicago. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) during an NFL preseason game against the New York Giants on Aug. 8, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Michael Niese (62) during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 13, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during an NFC Divisional Round playoff football game against the Washington Commanders on January 18, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 5, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans on Nov. 10, 2024 in Houston. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 3, 2024 in Green Bay, Wis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Dan Skipper (70) reporting eligible during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Dan Skipper (70) during an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2024 in Santa Clara. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Dan Skipper (70) during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 15, 2024 in Detroit. (Josh Mandujano/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions tackle Dan Skipper (70) and Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 24, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal (75) during an NFL preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 17, 2024 in Kansas City, MO. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler (71) during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28, 2024 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler (71) during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 24, 2024 in Indianapolis. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler (71) during an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 5, 2025 in Detroit. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler (71), Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 22, 2024 in Glendale, Ariz. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions via AP)
Draft: Holmes has drafted four offensive linemen over his four draft cycles as the Lions general manager. That includes Giovanni Manu (third round) and Mahogany (sixth) last season.
Holmes took Manu out of the University of British Columbia, knowing he would likely have a redshirt first season as he adjusted to the NFL. Detroit is happy with Manu's progression and maybe he's ready to compete for a swing tackle role or potentially push for a starting role next season. The swing tackle option seems the most likely. Mahogany could certainly compete for a starting spot at guard.
If Holmes wants to continue to add young talent via the NFL Draft, there will be plenty of options. This is a particularly strong class of interior offensive linemen with Tyler Booker (Alabama), Armand Membou (Missouri), Kelvin Banks Jr. (Texas), Donovan Jackson (Ohio State) and Grey Zabel (North Dakota State) as Day 1 or Day 2 options.
Quotable: "The whole thing, that whole unit, it's not a specific position, it's not, 'Oh, it's got to be a future left tackle or it's a starting guard or someone to develop behind Frank (Ragnow).' I think when you start going in those kind of specific avenues you can kind of ignore something else, and I just think you've got to keep the whole garden watered at all points," Holmes said after the season when asked about the priority to keep investing in the offensive line.
"And so, it's going to be the whole unit. I mean, that is – that's the engine for us. And so, I don't care how good we ever get on the offensive line, that one right there is too important for not only our team, our quarterback, everything, it's our identity, man. So, I think just that alone is just – it's always going to be at the forefront."
