NFL LIVE: What a scout” Lions Officially leading the race to Sign Veteran Starting Lineman” after so many injury huddles…
As the Detroit Lions head into the last week of the preseason, their anticipated starting offensive line is still in place. However, as Detroit’s offensive line depth continues to suffer injuries, Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department identified veteran center Mason Cole as a free agent the Lions should sign right away.
Matt Holder of Bleacher Report suggested that Cole might be a useful reserve player for Detroit. Holder stated, “The Lions’ offensive line depth has been reduced due to a number of injuries sustained by backup players and the fact that rookie Christian Mahogany has been on the NFI list throughout training camp.”
In order to get through the next weeks until the regular season begins, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring in a veteran like Cole, who has experience playing all three interior spots.
Christian Mahogany was not the only guard to miss training camp due to injury; on August 1, Netane Muti, another guard, had a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve. On August 12, offensive lineman Connor Galvin was placed on injured reserve, and swing tackle Dan Skipper was sidelined by an ankle injury during Week 2 of the preseason.
Cole has started at least 7 games in five of his six NFL seasons during his career. The past two years, he started 35 contests at center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
How Center Mason Cole Could Fit With the Lions
Cole is only 28 years old, but he remains unsigned with Week 3 of the preseason about to begin. So it’s highly unlikely that he lands another starting job for the 2024 season.
If he’s interested in a backup role, as Holder explained, the Lions could bring in Cole for interior offensive line depth. Most of Cole’s NFL experience is at center, but he played 210 snaps at right guard in 2021 and 149 snaps at left guard in 2019.
Lions fans should keep in mind, though, that there’s a reason Cole is still a free agent. Pro Football Focus’ player grades ranked Cole 23rd out of 32 centers who played 50% of his team’s snaps last year. In pass blocking, PFF’s player grades rated Cole second-to-last
Cole began his career as a third-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL draft. He started all 16 games for the Cardinals at center as a rookie, but he lost his job prior to his second season. Cole started just two games in 2019.
He returned to the starting lineup for the Cardinals in 2020, starting 14 games at center. He then started four games at center and three contests at right guard for the Minnesota Vikings during 2021.
Cole played much better in 2022 for the Steelers than he did in 2023. PFF ranked him 12th among the 32 centers in the league that played 50% of his team’s snaps during 2022. Cole posted an above average grade in both run blocking and pass protection that season.
Lions Interior Offensive Line Depth
It’s possible that Cole is waiting for a team desperately in need of a starter before signing with an organization. The good news for the Lions is that they aren’t that desperate.
While the team has lost some depth, projected starting left guard Graham Glasgow, center Frank Ragnow and right guard Kevin Zeitler are all healthy. As is Kayode Awosika, who is probably the team’s top interior offensive lineman currently on the bench.
Cole would provide Detroit further depth. However, if the Lions would rather wait until the end of the month to see how the remainder of their roster appears, they can exercise patience. The Lions have Jake Burton and Michael Niese to provide further depth on the inside offensive line. Additionally, Detroit’s roster includes undrafted rookies Bryan Hudson, Duke Clemens, and Kingsley Eguakun.
