The line separating the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions remains as razor-thin as ever, with any possible advantage being enough to take one team over the hump. Detroit may have received just that type of unexpected windfall thanks to center Frank Ragnow.
Ragnow surprisingly called it a career before the 2025 season, as he was seemingly content with his Pro Bowls and a very productive career in Detroit. That content state lasted all of a few months, as the nemesis of every Packers defensive tackle
Ragnow will come out of retirement and rejoin the Lions for their postseason push. The Packers may see their divisional rival get a genuine game-changer back in NFL shape before the end of the regular season, which is exactly what Jared Goff and the offense want to see.
While the Packers will miss out on playing against Ragnow as he works his way back into playing shape, but Green Bay now has to watch one of their biggest rivals get a major shot in the arm at an area of weakness right before the playoff picture comes around.
Packers fans won't like to see Frank Ragnow return to Lions
Ragnow has been as good as any center not named Jason Kelce in the NFC during the last few years, as he has four Pro Bowls and three Second Team All-Pro nods that would have been First Team appearances had Kelce not been there to block him.
The Packers' defensive line is always going to be good due to the Micah Parsons factor, but this group outside of him remains one of the worst of any contender in the league. Facing Detroit with an improved offensive line will only make things worse for a team that is struggling to get to the quarterback.
As Green Bay showed in Week 1, the only truly reliable way to slow down the Detroit offense is to get pressure up the middle, as it impacts both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jared Goff. With an undermanned defensive line outside of Parsons, any hypothetical Green Bay/Detroit postseason matchup might turn slightly toward the Lions now that Ragnow is back in the fold.