Frank Ragnow Out, Alim McNeill Practicing This Week

Lions rule center out ahead of Monday Night Football showdown.

Frank Ragnow and Kevin Zeitler. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow has earned the reputation of being one of the toughest players in the NFL.

Last season, Ragnow managed to play in 15 regular season games and all three playoff games despite being listed on the injury report weekly with a plethora of bumps and bruises. He played just one week after undergoing surgery for a knee injury late in the year.

However, after suffering a partially torn pectoral muscle in Detroit's Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dan Campbell officially ended the speculation of whether the center will play by ruling him out Thursday.

"We're gonna put Frank down this week, so I'll go ahead and get that out of the way," Campbell said. "We can go round and round if we want, we're not even gonna mess with that. Frank's tough, I mean, he's tough as nails. If anyone can play through that it's him. I think we've got to be smart. It's early in the year, we've got a lot of football left."

Ragnow has played at an All-Pro level the last several seasons for Detroit, anchoring the middle of what is considered to be one of the best offensive lines in football. With the Lions' bye week set for next week, Detroit will get Ragnow an extra week of rest.

Alim McNeill also suffered a shoulder injury in the win over Arizona. After being ruled day-to-day earlier in the week, Campbell said McNeill is expected to practice on Thursday.

New black uniforms

The Lions will debut their new black uniforms in Monday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. Campbell was a big fan of bringing back the look, dating back to his days in Detroit as a player.

Detroit will be looking to snap a losing streak against the Seahawks, as Seattle has bested Detroit each of the last three seasons.

"I like those uniforms. I know our players do too," Campbell said. "It'll be something different, it's a change-up. Doesn't mean you're gonna win a game, but I like them. They'll look good."