One of the biggest signings for the Detroit Lions this offseason was center Cade Mays. Unfortunately for the team, it is going to take some time before they get to see him. Mays injured his wrist during training camp, and Dan Campbell believes the injury will go into the regular season.
Campbell said that Mays will miss significant time and would not put a timeline on the injury.
He will be back in the regular season, but “it’ll be down the road.”
“I’m not going to give you a timeline,” said Campbell. “He will be ready for the playoffs; I will give you that.”
The hope is that Mays could come back before that, but Campbell setting the timeline that far down the road does not signal well for him returning in the early portion of the regular season. This is devastating, as this was one of their big free agent signings.
Detroit Lions Lose Cade Mays to Wrist Injury
GettyThe Detroit Lions signed center Cade Mays in NFL free agency this offseason.
The team is expected to have a competition to see who is going to start. While Seth McLaughlin will get the first chance, Campbell noted that is because Juice Scruggs is sidelined with an injury. When Scruggs returns, he will be back in the mix and work with the first team.
Campbell also mentioned Michael Nise and even Tate Ratledge as players who could be in the mix. The goal is to find the best five.
McLaughlin was a UDFA from Ohio State. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals last year, but did not stick around. Now, he is looking to make the team and get a chance to start.
However, Scruggs is the most likely candidate right now. The team added him in the David Montgomery trade. He has 568 snaps at center and started eight games there in 2024. Once he gets healthy, he will be pushing McLaughlin.
Niese is entering his fifth NFL season and fourth with the Lions. However, he has just 46 total snaps. 45 of the 46 snaps are at center, so he will be in the mix.
Lastly would be Ratledge; however, Campbell said it was just to keep him fresh in case they needed it. Still, someone like Miles Frazier at guard and Ratledge at center could end up being a fine solution if the injury is this long-term.
Mays Misses Great Chance to Prove Himself as Starter
The injury is disappointing for Mays, who is a former sixth-round pick who signed a three-year, $25M deal to be the team’s starting center.
He did not even take any center snaps until his third NFL season. He made seven starts in his first two years, but moved between both guard spots.
In 2024, he was given a chance to close the year at center and looked strong for eight starts. He came back the next year and had 12 strong starts at center.
So, he was signed despite having only 20 career starts at the position and never playing a full season in his career. That will extend into his fifth season. Mays will look to prove he is worth the contract later in the season.
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