Checking in at #7 on the Lions Top 10 Injury News of 2025 is a player who never played a snap all season. Somehow, he still put Lions’ fans through an emotional wringer.
Here is the excerpt from Detroit Lions Top 10 Injury News of the 2025 Season: #7 Frank Ragnow hamstring:
The surprise retirement of Pro-Bowl center Frank Ragnow in June of 2025 left behind a weakened offensive line. But then, like a burly phoenix rising from the ashes, Ragnow decided to come out of retirement in late November to save the Lions’ season.
Unretirement Announcement (November 26, 2025)
What happened next earns a spot at #7 on the Lions Top 10 Injury News of the 2025 season. I’ll also explain why it reminded me of this scene from the movie Contact… (see source story for video).
The Injury – Hamstring strain (November 2025)
November 29, 2025: Just three days after announcing Ragnow’s return, the team released this statement:
A grade 3 hamstring is the most severe grade and involves a complete tear or avulsion. For this to be found on a “routine” physical was startling.
The curious statement and the whiplash of the retired-unretired-retired sequence understandably led to suspicion and conspiracy theories:
Frank Ragnow speaks on retirement comeback
June 2026: Ragnow confirmed his existence and finally spoke on what transpired:
His key quotes:
I was staying in good shape.
I got hurt a day or two before I got there. – Frank Ragnow
Ragnow’s explanation for his hamstring injury aligns with Occam’s razor, which posits that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. The simplest explanation for Ragnow’s curious re-retirement is that he tore his hamstring right before reporting to the Lions. Maybe that is exactly what happened… or maybe we’ll find out more to the story in the future.
Regardless of the reason, the failed comeback of Ragnow meant there was no savior for the Lions’ season. The team went on to lose 3 of the final 5 games and miss the playoffs.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Detroit Lions Top 2025 injury news: No. 7 Frank Ragnow hamstring
Reporting by Jimmy Liao, MD, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
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By Jimmy Liao, MD, Lions Wire | USA TODAY Network
