The Detroit Lions made a surprise move by benching left guard Christian Mahogany in favor of Miles Frazier in their Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. Head coach Dan Campbell explained after the game that it was a coach’s decision due to Mahogany breaking team rules.
On Monday after the game, Campbell had a firm message for the third-year player. The ball is in Mahogany’s court if he wants to get back into the lineup.
“Yeah, listen, we’re good,” said Campbell when discussing the benching. “I mean, I talked to him this morning, so the ball’s in his court.”
Campbell was later asked if Mahogany would be involved in trade discussions heading into the trade deadline, and Campbell made it clear that he would not.
Detroit Lions Send Message to Left Guard Christian Mahogany
Later, Campbell was asked to clarify what he meant when he said they were good. He was asked if that meant Mahogany would be back in the lineup. Campbell essentially said it would be up to Mahogany if he was back in the lineup. He made it clear that this did not mean he was going to be inserted right back into the lineup.
“No, I just said the ball’s in his court,” Campbell clarified when asked about the starting status of the former sixth-round pick. “That’s all I said.”
Frazier struggled in Week 9, which makes it seem as though Mahogany will be back in the lineup at some point soon. However, Campbell did not seem pleased with his starter and wanted to make it clear that he would have to earn the spot back after whatever happened.
Lions Do Not Guarantee Mahogany Will Start
The Lions came into the season looking to push Mahogany. He did not play much as a rookie, but started 11 games in year two. After seeing him for an extended period, the Lions traded for Juice Scruggs and signed Ben Bartch to push Mahogany in year three.
The injury to Cade Mays has taken Scruggs out of any competition with Mahogany. Bartch has rarely been healthy, and when he has seen the field, he has gotten injured. Frazier was not in the competition as much, because he was the swing guard who can also move out to play tackle. Still, he was not impressive in the preseason, so the team did not look to him to push Mahogany. So, Frazier is technically the fourth option. The Lions still wanted to roll with him over Mahogany. That speaks to the standard the Lions are setting.
The issue is that while he has not been pushed, he has done a fine job at left guard this year. He has shown improvement on the field. However, Detroit is still clearly concerned off the field. The Lions face off with the New England Patriots in Week 11. We will see who the team plans to start.
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