The Detroit Lions got an unexpected bit of good news right before Thanksgiving: four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow decided to end his retirement and return to the team. He wasn’t ready in time for the holiday matchup against the Green Bay Packers, and according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the earliest he’s expected to be on the field is Week 15 (Dec. 14) when Detroit faces the Los Angeles Rams.

Detroit’s Thanksgiving loss dropped the team to 7–5, and being swept by the Packers essentially erased any realistic chance of a third straight NFC North crown. At this stage, the Lions may need to win four of their final five games just to grab a playoff spot.

Their next challenge is a Week 14 Thursday night home game against the surging Dallas Cowboys, who have rattled off three victories in a row—two of them against last season’s Super Bowl teams. And although the Lions had to visit both the Chiefs and Eagles, they hardly looked competitive in either contest.

Ragnow’s expected debut comes the following week against the Rams. With Matthew Stafford performing at an MVP level and Detroit’s pass rush struggling to generate pressure, that matchup has the potential to go sideways quickly.

Frank Ragnow may not be returning to the team he thinks he is

When Ragnow walked away in June, the Lions knew the interior offensive line would suffer, and recent injuries to Christian Mahogany and Graham Glasgow have only highlighted how thin that group is. Left tackle Taylor Decker mentioned that Ragnow had been debating a comeback for weeks and finally committed on the last possible day he could return this season, likely believing he could help salvage a team with legitimate postseason hopes.

The assumption is that sliding Ragnow back into the center spot—and bumping Glasgow to left guard—will steady the offense and restore some consistency. But that may not be enough.

If the Lions lose to Dallas, which is entirely plausible given how each team is trending, falling to 7–6 would leave their division hopes effectively dead and damage their playoff chances as well.

Given that Ragnow originally retired due to injury concerns, his decision to unretire only makes sense if Detroit is positioned for a serious playoff push. With that scenario becoming less likely by the week, he might quickly find himself questioning whether returning was the right move at all.

It would be awkward, especially after all the excitement around his comeback—but it might not be crazy for Ragnow to rethink everything and stay retired.