Allen Park — Until Monday, Jared Goff wasn’t sure if he’d ever taken a rep alongside Seth McLaughlin.
He definitely knows now.
McLaughlin, signed by the Detroit Lions in January on a futures deal, was the first-team center during Monday’s practice, filling in for Cade Mays, who suffered a wrist injury and will be sidelined for a “significant period of time.” Mays was the only external free agent the Lions brought in this offseason on a multi-year agreement, a clear indication of his value to the team.
But as Lions coach Dan Campbell often says, the show goes on, and in goes McLaughlin, who went undrafted in 2025 but was a standout at Alabama (2020-23) and Ohio State (2024). Until Mays can return, expect McLaughlin and veteran Juice Scruggs to duke it for reps at center. Scruggs was unavailable Monday while mending from a soft tissue injury, an issue Campbell said will keep Scruggs off the field for “a few more days.”
McLaughlin made 35 starts across five seasons in college and in 2024 won the Rimington Award, presented annually to the nation’s top center. His slide to the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2025 was spurred by the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in November 2024. He said Monday he feels back to where he was before the injury. Put simply, “I feel normal out there.”
“He did a good job, man,” Goff said of McLaughlin’s performance in his first practice as a starter in Detroit. “He stepped in there, he was good, authority with his calls, he was sharp. He was decisive, I think that’s all you can ask for. You’re gonna make mistakes, things are gonna happen. But he was decisive and he was quick and commanded the huddle well.”
The lowest-rated recruit in Alabama’s 2020 recruiting class, McLaughlin is no stranger to climbing the depth chart. He made two appearances as a true freshman with the Crimson Tide but earned a role late into his second season, making his first start against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. He started 22 games over the next two seasons before leaving for Ohio State, where he won a national championship.
“I haven’t been given anything,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve tried to earn my opportunities here just like I have everywhere I’ve been.”
Among the 134 centers in the country who were pass protectors for at least 250 snaps in 2024, McLaughlin was tied for first in fewest sacks allowed (zero) and 22nd in fewest pressures allowed (seven), according to Pro Football Focus. Heading into the 2024 draft, NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein acknowledged McLaughlin’s torn Achilles would cloud his draft stock, but added “he has the makeup and consistency to make it in the league.”
McLaughlin spent Monday blocking defensive tackles Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams, the latter of whom was McLaughlin’s teammate at Ohio State. Close friends, Williams, Detroit’s first-round pick in 2025, playfully crashed McLaughlin’s meeting with reporters after practice.
Having someone to bounce ideas off of, particularly someone in a position group he directly competes against, has been beneficial for McLaughlin.
“We go through some of the reps, ‘Hey, this is what I felt on this, this is what I did when you did that.’ It’s a good chess match,” McLaughlin said of his duels with Williams. “He’s definitely helping me get better.”
The Lions weren’t on McLaughlin coming out of Ohio State, something he chalks up to his recovery timeline, having not been cleared to practice until late July 2025. But after a season on Cincinnati’s practice squad, the Lions were interested, and McLaughlin liked what he heard.
“Really, it was just the best fit (on) offense,” McLaughlin explained. “I’ve got a really good agent and he evaluated a bunch of teams after that window opened. They were really excited about me, they jumped on the opportunity when they heard my name. It’s kind of like, ‘Where do you feel most wanted?’ We felt like that was here.”
Having McLaughlin become such an integral part of their operation likely wasn’t in the Lions’ plans, but they’re confident in his abilities. McLaughlin is confident in himself, as well, assured in his improvement track. Asked how ready he’d be to start if Week 1 was tomorrow, McLaughlin said, “Just about as ready as everybody is on Day 11 of camp. There’s still a long way to go, excited to keep pursuing that.”
“We get a ton of reps through OTAs and a ton of reps in camp, more so than probably other places,” McLaughlin added. “I feel like going from not with the ones to (being with) the ones, I’ve gotten a lot of reps to keep getting better at football throughout the camp. I’m ready to keep going.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Seth McLaughlin ‘decisive’ in practice as Lions’ first-team center
Reporting by Richard Silva, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Richard Silva, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
