Detroit Lions preparing for O-line shuffle with no Frank Ragnow against testy Seahawks' D

The Detroit Lions will be down their All-Pro center, Frank Ragnow, Monday night when the undefeated Seattle Seahawks come to town, but quarterback Jared Goff is perfectly comfortable with the replacement.

Graham Glasgow will more than likely slide over to center while Ragnow misses the game due to a partially torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 3 win , while one of Kayode Awosika or Michael Niese is expected to slide in at left guard between Glasgow and Taylor Decker.

Glasgow has had to make the switch before and played two games last year at center when Ragnow was out due to injury. And a year prior, he moved between guard and center in his last season as a member of the Denver Broncos.

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"He's the Swiss Army knife," Goff said of Glasgow. "He can kind of do it all. He's played right guard, played left guard this year and now he's playing center. It's electric for us to have."

Whoever is called on to fill in at left guard, the plan isn't expected to change up front. The other All-Pro on the offensive line, right tackle Penei Sewell, said the responsibilities and expectations remain the same for the group even without Ragnow.

"If I try to do too much, I think that would hurt the team more than helping," Sewell said when asked about picking up the responsibility. "So whoever comes up next, they know the standard in the room, the standard in the offense and it doesn't change for anyone."

The Lions offense is still trying to find a consistent rhythm after the first three weeks and will have to do that without one of their most important players against a Seahawks defense that ranks fourth in scoring defense (14.4 points against per game) and first in passing defense.

Head coach Dan Campbell said two of the keys offensively against a good Seahawks defense will be staying ahead of the sticks on early downs and having more explosive plays, both of which start up front in the running game.

"Look, they want to get you to third down and then create issues," Campbell said. "That's where they can get you. (They) get you in third down and now they are causing problems (and) attacking your protections."

Pass protection will be an all-hands-on-deck situation against Seattle's defense led by new head coach Mike Macdonald, whose blitz and coverage schemes have consistently caused fits dating back to his time as Michigan's defensive coordinator. Running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said Thursday that the running backs and tight ends will be key in the protection plans.

The scheme is so effective that former Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh hired Macdonald before the 2021 season and reshaped the entire outlook of the defense, according to former Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson.

"I loved having him as a coach back in 2021," Hutchinson said. "Just him bringing in that Ravens defense when I was a senior, it was like I was having fun again in football."

The Seahawks defensive line is led by ends Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, who are tied for the team lead with three sacks apiece, as well as veteran Leonard Floyd (two sacks) on the interior along with Johnathan Hankins and first-round rookie Byron Murphy.

"It's the way they come off the ball," Sewell said. "When they are pass-rushing, they are all really good with their hands. They got that twitch and they're all hungry and want to finish every play. So we just gotta lock into those tendencies and go from there."

Goff said Macdonald's scheme, which gave the Lions fits last year in his stint as the defensive coordinator for the Ravens, will require lots of preparation up front.

"We’ve got to diagnose the pressures and try to pick them up," Goff said. "I think Macdonald’s as good as it gets at generating that pressure and finding a way to get free rushers and we’ve got to find a way to not have free rushers.”

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions preparing for O-line shuffle with no Frank Ragnow against testy Seahawks' D