Lions' Dan Campbell discusses Detroit's center competition

With top free agent signing Cade Mays sidelined to begin the season with a wrist injury, the Detroit Lions' training camp competition at center is now one of its most important position battles. Seth McLaughlin, a 6-foot-4, 304-pound lineman out of Ohio State, is in the mix along with second-year pro Tate Ratledge and offseason trade acquisition Juice Scruggs. Ratledge is someone that the Lions have previously eyed as a potential candidate to make the position switch to center. But, Detroit's decision to ink Mays in free agency seemed to indicate that the front office and coaching staff liked the idea of keeping Ratledge as its right guard, where he played and started all 17 games last season. "We’re going to work him a little bit. I don’t know how much we’ll do in team, but certainly we’re going to be snapping him some pre-practice. And then he’s been going through some of the calls, things like that. So, we’re just prepared. We’ve got to be willing to go wherever we can go with this," Campbell said of Ratledge playing center. McLaughlin was the only one of the three that saw action in the Lions' preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, logging 39 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus. PFF gave McLaughlin an overall offensive grade of 62.0, a run blocking grade of 63.7 and a pass blocking grade of 52.6. According to PFF, McLaughlin allowed a pair of pressures and one sack. Coming out of its preseason opener, Campbell said he liked what he saw from McLaughlin. "One of the things we talk about with Seth is, he’s not this enormous person. And, so his niche is playing low. He’s quick, he’s super sharp and he’s really good at the second level. And then pass game is the anchor. He’s just got to bend. He’s got to do, in a lot of cases, he’s got to do double what somebody else does that has more stature, you know, size or stature to him. "That’s the hand he’s dealt. I thought he did that the other night. I did think he anchored better, I thought he strained, I thought he tried to do all the little things and that’s a credit to him. I certainly was not disappointed with him the other day," Campbell said. Originally an undrafted free agent in 2025, McLaughlin spent last season on the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad. The Lions signed McLaughlin to a Reserve/Future contract in January. Scruggs was back in Lions practice on Saturday, where he took all the first-team reps at center. Scruggs is working his way back from a soft tissue injury. A 6-foot-3, 320-pound lineman, Scruggs could also be in the mix at left guard, with Christian Mahogany and Ben Bartch. Scruggs was originally a second-round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 37 career games and started 20. "I think we'll get Juice back today to where he can work a little bit and hopefully each day he gets more and more reps... Get him back and kind of see where that is. Bartch is back. He'll be getting more and more reps. Let Mahogany and Bartch, you know, go at it over there at the left guard. And then obviously, we're evaluating Juice too at center with Seth or is it Ratledge. We've got to find the five best, and so this is an ongoing battle," Campbell said prior to Saturday's training camp practice. For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions' Dan Campbell discusses Detroit's center competition