The biggest splash the Detroit Lions made in free agency this offseason was the signing of veteran Cade Mays to a three-year contract to be the new anchor of their offensive line at center.
After the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow last June, Detroit struggled finding the kind of consistency they enjoyed for years at the position. The Lions ranked 33rd out of 40 qualified centers across the league by Pro Football Focus metrics in 2025.
In Mays, Detroit hopes to have a foundational player who can help lead them back to being one of the top offensive lines in the NFL.
"We're throwing a lot at him, he's got a lot on him," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Mays. "The MIKE points, all of those things, where we're going, we've got a lot of scheming right now. And then we've had this system in place for four years now, so it's a lot.
"For (Jared) Goff, it's not a lot. For (Mays), when you just walk through the door, there's a lot going on here. But I feel like he's handling it well. And I think every day he gets more and more comfortable. So, I like it, I think he's a good fit for us."
Mays, 27, said building that relationship and continuity with Goff has been important to him. The two went out for a steak dinner when Mays first arrived in the spring and they try to get together off the field whenever they can.
"Relationships outside of football just make it stronger when you're out here," Mays said. "Just getting together talking through things. What he likes. How I see things and how he sees things. Just got the ball rolling.
"He's really mastered this offense he's been here so long. He's very intricate in what he knows. It makes my job easy. Anything that I might now see, he's on top of it."
So far through camp, that quarterback-center relationship has looked seamless.
Detroit has revamped the offensive line this offseason with Mays at center, Penei Sewell flipping from right tackle to left tackle and either rookie Blake Miller or veteran Larry Borom starting at right tackle. Starting left guard Christian Mahogany is also being pushed for that job during camp.
It's all an effort to return the Lions' offensive line to elite status, which is what they enjoyed when making their runs to NFC North titles in 2023 and 2024. After ranking No. 2 in 2023 and No. 1 in 2024 in PFF's final offensive line rankings, Detroit dropped to 12th last season.
"I knew before I got here they had a good offensive line the past few years and the standard is set," Mays said.
View photos from Day 5 of Detroit Lions training camp on Monday, August 3, 2026.
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) and Detroit Lions defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (95) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Tate Ratledge (69) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (2) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Chuck Clark (36) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Aamaris Brown (42) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions run game coordinator/defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) and Detroit Lions safety Thomas Harper (12) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors (25) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on August 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Nicole Scharff/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tackle Blake Miller (76) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Michael Niese (62), Detroit Lions center Cade Mays (64) and Detroit Lions offensive assistant Dan Skipper during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Jacob Saylors (25) and Detroit Lions safety Thomas Harper (12) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco (10) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Keith Abney II (28) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Roger McCreary (21) during training camp at the Meijer Performance Center on Aug. 3, 2026 in Allen Park, Mich. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Mays said you can't put a timeline on building chemistry up front, but he's liked the work they've put in early in camp and how he and Goff are working together to identify looks and get the right checks.
"We come out here and we get reps with everybody during individual (periods) and everybody in team (periods) and just getting that continuity and make it to where you don't even notice who is next to you," Mays said. "Everybody is one."
