Through three weeks of the season, Detroit Lions backup center Juice Scruggs has been one of the better NFL players at the pivot. Scruggs’ PFF grade of 71.5 current ranks fourth among all NFL centers, and Scruggs ability to be a force in the run game (78.7 run defense grade, second-best) has helped Detroit retain some of the rushing efficiency that was lost last season. The Lions currently rank sixth in rushing success rate (48.2%) per NFL Pro and fourth in average yards before contact per carry
(2.06).
During his weekly radio appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell had high praise for how Scruggs has played so far.
“He really fits us,” Campbell said. “He’s a pro. Man, he’s high energy. He’s the same guy every day. He busts his tail, and he’s getting better. He’s getting better for us at the center position. So, man, he’s a good fit for us.”
This offseason, the Lions acquired Scruggs in a trade that sent David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. At that point, Scruggs was in line to be a top reserve at both the center and guard positions. But after Cade Mays suffered a broken wrist early in training camp, Scruggs was pulled out of the competition for starting left guard and plugged in as the starting center.
However, the Lions are nearing an interesting crossroads with Scruggs. Lions coach Dan Campbell gave an update on Mays’ recovery from the wrist injury, and it sounds like he could return to the team somewhere around their Week 6 bye.
“Right now, we’re kinda hoping around the bye, somewhere in there,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday morning. “Before or after the bye with him, but he’s doing a great job. He really is.”
That begs the question: what do you do with Scruggs when Mays is healthy and ready to go? The Lions gave Mays a three-year, $25 million contract to be their center for the next few years, so it seems unlikely Detroit would keep him sidelined. But if Scruggs is still playing well, it would be hard to bench him, too.
Campbell was asked by radio host Jon Jansen if Scruggs would re-enter the competition at left guard to potentially start there, and the Lions’ coach offered a brief and powerful answer.
“Absolutely.”
Campbell was not asked if he would consider keeping Scruggs as the starting center.
Right now, the starting left guard position is being held by Christian Mahogany, but he was in tight competition with Ben Bartch before a foot injury sidelined Bartch recently. Campbell praised how Mahogany played against the Jets.
“I thought he had a winning performance,” Campbell said. “I thought he played good enough for us to win. I thought he ran off the football. I thought he was violent, played a physical game. There’s a couple of these little things he had got his feet out of whack that he’s got to clean up, just staying honed in on the technique of it. But, that’s it, man. Just the consistency.”
The majority of Scruggs’ experience in his three previous seasons in the NFL have been at the guard position, but in 2024, he started eight games at center and produced 64.5 PFF grade, good for 19th out of 38 qualifying centers over that span. He also started 13 games at center in his final year at Penn State in 2022.
Mays is not eligible to come off of injured reserve until after this week’s game against the Carolina Panthers. After that, we’ll have to see how Detroit opts to shake out the rest of their offensive line.
