If the Detroit Lions do not figure things out at center, they might have to make a trade before roster cutdowns. One name that is worth looking into is Olu Oluwatimi. According to Zachary Rotman of FanSided, the Seattle Seahawks have two centers capable of starting, and they could move on from Oluwatimi, who is slated to be the backup.
“Olusegun Oluwatimi would start for some teams at the center position, but Jalen Sundell has that spot on lockdown,” wrote Rotman. “It’s always nice to have a valuable backup, but the Seahawks could test the waters and see what Oluwatimi could fetch on the trade market, knowing he’s in the final year of his rookie deal. Odds are, a team that suffers an untimely injury could offer them something that’s too good for Seattle to pass on.”
Detroit just lost their starting center, Cade Mays, for the majority of the regular season due to a wrist injury. The team has a couple of in-house options, but they raise enough questions that a trade for Oluwatimi would be better.
Detroit Lions Named Trade Candidate for Olu Oluwatimi
GettyOlu Oluwatimi #51 of the Seattle Seahawks
As things stand, the team has tried three different names at center since Mays’ injury. First, they tried Seth McLaughlin. McLaughlin was the healthiest name who was getting center reps at the time.
Still, he started in the preseason opener and held his own, getting solid reviews for his play. However, the next week, the team brought Juice Scruggs back from injury and tried to shift Tate Ratledge over to center from guard to see how far he would go.
Scruggs has experience in the NFL at center and might get a longer look in the preseason. Still, he last played center in 2024. The team moved him to guard in 2025 and traded him in 2026. Ratledge might be making two positions weaker.
If they cannot find the right answer from these three, they are going to have to look into a trade.
Lions Need to Settle Center Position Before Regular Season
Oluwatimi was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent his first three seasons with the Seahawks, who drafted him. However, he has just 13 starts in three NFL seasons.
He only started in one game as a rookie. Then, in his second NFL season, he missed the start of the year, but came back and closed things out as the starter. He had 431 snaps and eight starts at center.
Unfortunately, it did not carry over to the next year. He was only healthy for eight games and started in four. Still, he has 871 career snaps at center. That is more than Scruggs, McLaughlin, and Ratledge combined.
Oluwatimi is entering the last year of his deal. Given he was not a starter and is not signed, the Lions should be able to acquire him without giving up much draft capital. The team will likely give their competition another week or two to see if they can settle things. Then, a trade could be completed.
Lions Urged to Trade for Veteran Center With 13 Starts