Allen Park — Detroit Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley said Monday he thinks Pro-Bowl center Frank Ragnow could stand to gain some toughness.
And of course, he was joking, because Ragnow may very well be one of the toughest men in the NFL.
“He’s been great in the room. I joke with him about not taking all the reps out there, but he could be tougher on that end,” Fraley said. “But he’s good. What he goes through, I admire him. (As do) the guys in his room. He’s getting where he needs to be, mentally strong. He’s there for the guys. That’s what’s great about him now.”
After missing just three games through the first three seasons of his career, Ragnow has dealt with a nasty bout of turf toe since Week 4 of the 2021 season. It cost him the rest of that year and severely limited the fifth-year Pro Bowler in 2022, as he continued working toward a solution.
Turns out there is no solution. Ragnow told reporters at his charity function in May that the toe is inoperable, with no real hope of it improving outside of rest. And according to Fraley, it sounds like that knowledge is almost a bit of comfort at this point.
“I told him to get used to not ever being the same, and that’s his mindset,” Fraley said. “It takes a mindset to do that stuff for everybody. … It’s all in the mind now, so he’s good. He plays at a very high level. I don’t know where it will. He doesn’t know where it will be. He might not ever be the same; that’s fine.
“But, he can still be very productive with what he does. So, I would still say he’s one of the top guys in the league, even with being hampered a little bit, but he looks great.”
Ragnow became the highest-paid center in the NFL when he signed a four-year, $54 million extension with the team in 2021, which will kick in this season and keep him under contract through 2026. Should Ragnow’s play decline significantly, the Lions won’t have an out until the 2025 offseason. The dead money is bigger than his cap hit for each of the next two seasons.
But, even that is looking unlikely, with Ragnow making the Pro Bowl in his first full season back from the injury. In 2020, Ragnow’s first Pro-Bowl season, he allowed just nine total pressures and zero sacks in 609 pass-blocking snaps. He reaggravated the injury in Week 1 last season, missed Week 2, and still, was back to his old self while dealing with the toe. He allowed 13 pressures and one sack on 627 pass-blocking snaps a year ago.
“When you’re talented like him, it’s hard to see,” Fraley said. “We knew what he was going through … Most guys, I think, would truly fold, and he just fought through it. So, he’s tough. He’s tough mentally and physically, and we’ll see where it goes. We’re in great shape right now, so when that bridge comes, it’s on him and he’s ready to go.
“They’ve done a nice job here, the staff, of getting him ready. … I know he can’t wait for training camp.”
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Twitter: @nolanbianchi