Allen Park — For many in the Lions’ organization, one of the hardest parts about missing the playoffs last season was that they knew, in their heart of hearts, they should still be playing.
That’s what offensive line coach Hank Fraley will remember about watching his unit’s punishing style wither away over the course of 17 games, leading to a 9-8 finish that forced Detroit to miss the postseason for the first time since 2022.
“You’re frustrated because you’re watching everybody else play,” Fraley said during the offseason program. “And there’s sometimes you’re sitting back, even as a player back in the day, and you’re like, ‘Man, I know we’re better than this. I know we should be playing.’”
The bridge back to the playoffs will be built on the back of Detroit’s revamped offensive line, a group that includes veteran center Cade Mays, the team’s biggest free-agent investment this offseason, and rookie offensive tackle Blake Miller, a first-round pick out of Clemson.
In 2026, Fraley is looking for two things: consistency and the return of a bullying mentality.
“If we’re not living up to the standards ourselves, then we’re not going to have the year we want to have,” Fraley said. “And really, the thing I’m harping on these guys is it’s not necessarily always the strongest, the fastest, the most talented. But you’ve got to be consistent. And I think if you just look back over the past year, we weren’t as consistent as we needed to be … and we’ve got to clean that up and be more detailed on that.”
The Lions’ offensive line was a disjointed mess in 2025 following the sudden retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow. The team dove further into a retooling of the unit this offseason, releasing veteran tackle Taylor Decker and veteran center Graham Glasgow. Decker hardly practiced, which couldn’t have been good for the consistency of young guard Christian Mahogany, and Glasgow was a long way from the player he used to be.
Quarterback Jared Goff was sacked a career-high 38 times as the Lions’ offensive line ranked 19th in pressure rate. Detroit’s run game was explosive because of Jahmyr Gibbs’ otherworldly ability, but on a down-to-down basis, it lacked efficiency. Detroit’s rushing success rate (40.7%) ranked 22nd.
An offensive line dubbed the “Detroit People Movers” completely broke down. Fraley believes they need to establish the correct mindset to get back on track.
“You’ve got to earn the right to run the ball, to get the coordinator to call the next run and establish it,” Fraley said. “It’s that mindset. There’s not too many sports where you get to walk through on this field and you get to bully people, and that’s really what that is. Offensive linemen, the mentality is being a bully.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions’ O-line reestablishing bully mentality to get back on track
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
