There was a very welcome sight at the Detroit Lions practice session on Tuesday in Allen Park. For the first time since the team’s minicamp in June, rookie offensive lineman Christian Mahogany participated in practice.
Mahogany is still on Detroit’s non-football illness list after missing over two months with mononucleosis (mono), but he’s working his way back. The first practice is a first step, kicking off a 21-day activation window for Mahogany. The Lions now have 21 days from today, October 8th, to activate Mahogany onto the 53-man active roster. If they don’t activate him within that window, Mahogany will miss his entire rookie season.
It comes at a time when the Lions can use some depth reinforcements. All-Pro center Frank Ragnow missed the last game with a pectoral muscle injury, and his status remains uncertain for the coming game(s). Ragnow did practice on Tuesday in the portion open to the media, a good sign.
A sixth-rounder from Boston College, Mahogany was an excellent stylistic and schematic fit for the Lions offensive line. Detroit signed veteran Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler to a one-year contract in the offseason to help groom Mahogany for a larger role in 2025, though that has been derailed because of Mahogany’s debilitating illness.