Graham Glasgow returned to the Detroit Lions in 2023 free agency, armed with versatility and the belief that he could compete with Halapoulivaati Vaitai for the starting right guard position. When Vaitai was injured, he took over at right guard and tied for the eighth-highest grade among guards from Pro Football Focus last season (74.9). His run blocking grade (82.1) was the fifth best at the position. Glasgow re-signed with the Lions as soon as the free agency bargaining window began in March. He didn’t want to leave, and the emotion was definitely reciprocal. He would undoubtedly settle in as right guard for the next few seasons, right?
When asked how the Lions would replace Jonah Jackson, Glasgow responded, “We’ll figure it out.” Kevin Zeitler, a right guard by trade for the previous 12 seasons, was signed to a one-year contract as the second week of free agency began. So Glasgow was going to left guard, where he had previously played a substantial portion of his plays as a rookie and second-year man with the Lions in 2016 and 2017. He did start one game as a left guard last season.
Graham Glasgow didn’t think idea of position move was serious
Glasgow recently recalled, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket, a call from Dan Campbell prior to free agency.
“There’s a possibility that we would want you to move to left guard”, Campbell told Glasgow.
“I was like, ‘Uh, let me talk to my agent,'” Glasgow said. “We talked for a bit and I called him back and asked, ‘Are you just saying that knowing that you’re going to move me? Or is it really one of those situations where there’s a small chance that it could happen?'”
Campbell told Glasgow moving him to left guard wasn’t necessarily the plan, but in figuring out how to replace Jackson it was on the table. Glasgow said he thought it was a joke at the beginning, albeit not a very funny one, but he quickly moved to making the best of it.
Switching sides of the offensive line was once perfectly described by former NFL offensive lineman Artis Hicks, when he played for the Minnesota Vikings. Hicks told a reporter it’s like writing with the hand you don’t write with. Everything is opposite. The mental adjustment is one thing, and Glasgow spoke precisely to that physical adjustment.
