The Lions spent the offseason fixing a run game that stalled out too often in 2025, and the fix started at center. Detroit signed Cade Mays away from Carolina in March on a 3-year, $25 million deal with $14 million guaranteed, betting his interior play could replace what they lost when Frank Ragnow retired. That bet just took a hit.
Lions center Cade Mays suffered a wrist injury that now will result in him missing what HC Dan Campbell called “a significant” amount of time.
Adam Schefter confirmed what Lions fans feared Monday: Mays' wrist injury will keep him out for what head coach Dan Campbell called "a significant" amount of time. According to ESPN, Mays fractured a small bone in the wrist and is expected to miss roughly 8-10 weeks. Campbell wouldn't pin a return date, joking he'd be ready for the playoffs, but the timing stings for a lineman who was reportedly progressing well through camp.
Hayden Winks summed up why this one hurts more than a standard camp injury.
The Lions run game didn't hit as hard last year, and Mays' signing was going to be a reason why it was getting fixed. They'll still be great, but this stings.
Mays wasn't just a depth add. He came over from Carolina after 4 seasons with the Panthers, where he didn't allow a sack over 726 snaps last year and posted one of the better run-block win rates among centers in the league. Detroit brought him in specifically to be the anchor of a retooled line and get the ground game humming again after last season's dip. Now that anchor is on the shelf into the season.
Mays isn't the only banged-up name in Detroit's backfield picture. Schefter also flagged that running back Isiah Pacheco is dealing with his own injury, an MCL sprain, though the Lions are reportedly optimistic he'll be good to go for the Week 1 opener against New Orleans.
More about the Lions losing their starting center Cade Mays and RB Isiah Pacheco to injuries, via @E_Woodyard: https://t.co/lvLCspeoUO
None of this sinks Detroit's season by itself, and Campbell isn't treating Mays' injury as season-ending. But losing your new starting center for the better part of two months, right as the team was trying to solve its run-blocking problem, is exactly the kind of camp setback that forces a contender to improvise up front before Week 1 even kicks off.