In a stunning offseason twist, Detroit Lions All-Pro C Frank Ragnow announced his retirement, citing health concerns and a desire to focus on his family.
The 29-year-old had been the engine of Detroit’s offensive line since 2018 and was widely regarded as one of the top centers in football.
For the Cowboys, this isn’t just headline news, it’s a real opportunity to narrow the gap between themselves and the team that blew them out at AT&T Stadium last season.
Addition by Subtraction
Dallas is set to face the Lions in Week 14, and a playoff rematch is very much on the table a few short weeks afterwards.
Ragnow’s absence could swing both of those games in the Cowboys’ favor, especially in the trenches where the fight matters most.
Without Ragnow making line calls and anchoring protections, the job just got a lot easier for the Cowboys’ defensive tackles.
Osa Odighizuwa, coming off a breakout year, and third-year DT Mazi Smith now have a clearer path to the quarterback.
That’s critical when you’re trying to contain Jared Goff, who thrives with a clean pocket and quick timing routes.
If Dallas can generate pressure up the middle, it disrupts the entire flow of Detroit’s offense.
It’s not just about pass rush, either.
Ragnow was a beast in the run game, helping pave lanes for Detroit’s two-headed monster in the backfield, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
With him gone, the interior of Detroit’s line is suddenly vulnerable, and that gives DC Matt Eberflus and the defense more freedom to dial up pressure and stack the box without worrying about getting bulldozed inside.
Closing the Gap
From a broader perspective, this levels the playing field between Dallas and Detroit.
Heading into 2025, the Lions’ offensive line was viewed as a top-three unit, one of the few areas where they had a clear advantage over the Cowboys.
Now? That edge is gone.
On paper, these teams look a lot more even, and Dallas might even have the momentum, especially on defense.
Cowboys fans have seen too many seasons where an elite NFC team out-muscled us up front.
Ragnow’s retirement changes the equation.
With Micah Parsons bringing the heat off the edge and the interior getting a crack in Detroit’s armor, Week 14 and any postseason rematch just got a little more favorable for Big D.
We Know How It Feels
Detroit fans, we know how it feels.
A few years ago, our very own All-Pro C Travis Frederick suddenly retired after being diagnosed with Guillian-Barre syndrome, an auto-immune disease that causes the body to attack its own nerves.
Needless to say, Frederick could not recover enough to play football again, and the Cowboys’ offensive line suffered for it.
a Dallas Cowboys fan, since the 70’s I don’t see the Detroit Lions have a drop off in 2025 after center Frank Ragnow retired because of injuries but when center Travis Frederick retired the Cowboys offensive line started fall off players leaving through free agency because Jerry Jones couldn’t pay them and more player retiring because of injuries
You seriously don’t really pay attention to how things really work so you!? You make the same comments every time and they’ll never be right!! If our players leave in free agency, it’s not because Jerry COULDN’T pay them, it’s cause he don’t wanna pay them what they want!! Not only that, but Stephen is the one that is over the cap situation, not Jerry!! I’m sure Jerry has a say in the situation, but when it comes to spending money and controlling the cap space, it’s Stephen who is the boss of the that!! And he don’t like spending too much money on players!! That’s just how it is since he took over the cap situation!! Before Stephen came along, Jerry used to sign every player he wanted, and has 3 Super Bowl rings to show for it!! Things went down hill after Stephen got more control over the team, and there’s plenty of stories to back up my statement!! Before he got more control over the team, Jerry went out and signed Deion Sanders and Stephen got so mad about it cause of the money Jerry paid Sanders, and he pushed Jerry up against the wall and told him it was a bad move and the other players wouldn’t like that Sanders got paid so much, but Jerry laughed at him and told him to get out of his way cause they have a Super Bowl to win, and that’s exactly what happened…. They got their 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years, and it was cause Jerry didn’t care what it took to get the players they needed!! There’s more to that story, but I mentioned the important parts!! So to my point, your comments about Jerry are false, and if you were a fan of the Cowboys since the 70s then you would know that!! But you obviously haven’t been a fan that long!! Either that or you just don’t pay attention to what’s really going on and you just go on what you hear from haters and other people that don’t know what’s going on!! Cause a real fan knows what’s going on, and knows that Stephen is the problem in the front office, not Jerry!!
And another thing you said in this comment that don’t make any sense is that you don’t think Detroit will drop off in 2025 after their center retired, but when Travis Frederick retired, our offensive started to fall off!! So if our offense started to fall off after Fredrick retired, then what makes you think Detroits offense won’t do the same!? Like I said before, your comments really don’t make any sense!! And if you didn’t put in your comments that you are a Cowboys fan, I would think that your a Cowboys hater, cause you always have something bad to say about them, it don’t matter the situation, your always throwing hate at them!! But like I said, your comments never make any sense, so I guess that part shouldn’t make much sense either!!