The Lions will be wearing their throwback uniforms on Thanksgiving. The Lions will also soon be getting a throwback center with the news of Frank Ragnow’s retirement from hunting… and unretirement from football.
While he won’t be ready to hunt cheese on Thanksgiving, he should be ready next week vs the Cowboys or the week after vs the Rams.
Frank Ragnow medical history
Ragnow’s retirement in the offseason was a shock because he seemingly had a very healthy 2024 season, missing only 1 game with a left pec strain.
In 2023, he was banged up a bit as he missed 1 game with a calf strain, 2 games with a left knee meniscus…
… and then suffered a suspected left MCL and high ankle sprain in the playoffs.
The underlying reason for his retirement may stem from a turf toe injury that started or was aggravated in 2021. The toe became a chronic “unfixable” issue.
While Ragnow’s toe may not be fixable, the Lions offensive line may be fixable with Ragnow back at center. Looking ahead, his availability next season seems promising given this late-season return. He is signed with the Lions through the 2026 season and is just 29-years-old.
Even though he’s only been back with the team for a few hours, it may not be too early to talk about an extension.
Tight end woes
The tight end group would certainly like to throwback to the beginning of the season when they were all healthy. Somehow, the Lions will be without their top 4 TE’s for turkey day.
Let’s recap in chronological order:
#1 Kenny Yeboah – Suspected right knee injury in preseason. On IR and out for season.
#2 Shane Zylstra – Suspected right high ankle sprain on September 14. On IR, but could return.
#3 Sam LaPorta – Back surgery. On IR and very likely out for season.
#4 Brock Wright – Neck injury last game. Unknown prognosis.
A reader was able to find an alternate camera angle of Wright’s neck injury mechanism…
Hopefully, Wright has just a simple sprain and avoided any spinal injury. If he does not go on IR before the Packers game, then a spinal issue is much less likely.
Lions vs Packers final injury report
TRENDS
Lions starters out:
(NP – no practice, LP – limited practice, FP – full practice)
DETROIT LIONS
OUT – Graham Glasgow, C (left knee) starter
His unavailability is a surprise coming out of last game in which he played all snaps and didn’t appear to have any significant issue. He hurt his left knee against the Eagles in the previous game, so I suspect an aggravation of that knee is the explanation. With the imminent return of Ragnow, Glasgow may get more time to recover.
OUT – Kerby Joseph, S (left knee) starter
Joseph last played on October 12. It’s another week of NP’s which puts next week vs the Cowboys in doubt… a sentence you’ll recognize if you’ve been reading these final injury reports over the past month. It does appear in recent videos that he is ramping up his workouts though, so maybe soon?
OUT – Josh Paschal, EDGE (back)
After a FP in a walkthrough on Monday, Paschal followed up with 2x NP which is curious and potentially ominous. Did he have a setback from just a walkthrough? Or is there something else going on?
Add this to the curiosity that he was placed on NFI, not PUP, which implies the injury was not football related or the player was doing something the team didn’t approve of.
OUT – Kalif Raymond, WR (left ankle)
On video, Raymond may have suffered a left high ankle sprain last game. Dan Campbell’s statements this week imply that he did not suffer a fracture which is good news. Depending on severity, it’s something that he could return from within 1-2 weeks – or keep him out multiple weeks and land him on IR.
OUT – Brock Wright, TE (neck)
Wright may have injured his neck last game when he landed on his head in the 2nd quarter. He did finish out the game without issue. Hopefully, it’s just a simple sprained neck and he can start practice after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, he’s on IR-watch.
QUESTIONABLE – Terrion Arnold, CB (concussion) starter
After missing the last 2 games, Arnold should have a good chance to play on Thanksgiving.
QUESTIONABLE – Marcus Davenport, EDGE (right shoulder) starter
Davenport has not played since September 14 with a reported pec strain. The full week of FP has him on track to play. He was activated on Day 15 of his window which signals that he will be in.
QUESTIONABLE – Taylor Decker, OT (right shoulder) starter
Based on patterns all season, Decker will play his 6th straight game.
QUESTIONABLE – Miles Frazier, OG (knee)
Frazier’s 21-day window expired, and he was “activated” to the 53-man roster today. If he was not activated, he would have been lost for the season. Thus, the activation does not imply he will play. He may still be inactive on gameday for health reasons or coach’s decision. But with Glasgow out, it increases the likelihood Frazier will be active.
QUESTIONABLE – Tate Ratledge, OG (knee) starter
Ratledge hurt his left knee vs the Eagles 2 weeks ago. The full week of LP suggests he will be in.
QUESTIONABLE – Penei Sewell, OT (ankle) starter
Sewell injured his left ankle 3 weeks ago and still may be hampered by it. He was slow getting up in the 2nd quarter vs the Giants, but played 100% of snaps. He had a full week of LP and should be in on Thanksgiving.
QUESTIONABLE – Isaac TeSlaa, WR (hand)
It’s uncertain what’s going on with the hand, but the 3x LP this week is very reassuring.
QUESTIONABLE – Sione Vaki, RB (ankle/thumb)
A new thumb injury popped up on the report this week. The ankle has been going on for weeks. The 3x LP is reassuring.
IN – Brian Branch, S (toe/ankle) starter
Branch had a toe listing entering the Giants game. The ankle listing showed up after the game. He was slow getting up at the 10 minute mark of the 3rd quarter but video didn’t show any obvious injury.
Even though he played 100% of snaps, he didn’t look quite right last game. It’s really good news that he was not given a “questionable” designation for this game, as that implies he is close to full health.
IN – Jacob Saylors, RB (back/shoulder)
Saylors has been on the report recently with the back injury but has played through.
PUP/NFI
IR (injured reserve) – eligible to return this season
(Rules recap: There is no limit to the number of players that can be placed on IR. Must stay on IR for minimum 4 games. Only 8 are allowed to return during regular season plus bonus 2 for the playoffs. Last season, Lions used 7 returns during regular season and 1 during playoffs.)
Eligible return dates:
IR returns: 4 – Thomas, Reed, Davenport, Dorsey
IR players:
IR – NOT eligible to return this season (key players listed)
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions vs Packers Week 13: Final injury report + Frank Ragnow is back
Reporting by Jimmy Liao, MD, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
