Lions’ Graham Glasgow has won the starting right guard position

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell says Graham Glasgow has earned the right to start at right guard going forward.

Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow appears to have won the team’s starting right guard job moving forward.

On Wednesday, coach Dan Campbell was asked if Glasgow has earned the right to the starting right guard job over Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who held the job at the start of the season.

“Yeah, I think so. I think that’s fair,” Campbell said. “We’re always assessing Big V (Vaitai) , and V is still working at it. But Graham has been productive for us, and he has—he’s been productive at three different spot: left guard, center and certainly right guard before that. So he’s been a big asset for us. that was a good signing for us to get, and fortunate to have him. He’s a steady, reliable piece for us.”

After coming off the bench to start the season, Glasgow has been a key member of the offensive line as an injury fill-in. Already, he has started six games through the first eight, playing four at right guard, one at left guard and one at center.

Now the Lions are coming out of the bye week as healthy as they’ve been on the offensive line. Left guard Jonah Jackson is expected to be back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Frank Ragnow will be back at center after missing one game. The situation is a little less clear for Vaitai, who has been in and out of the lineup with both knee and back injuries; though he’s been active for the past four games, he’s only started one.

It’s been a whirlwind few years for Glasgow, who signed a big four-year, $44 million free agency deal with the Denver Broncos in 2020, only to suffer a serious ankle injury a year later and get released this offseason—a year before his contract expired.

But now, Glasgow believes he’s playing his best football, and he’s reaping the rewards of it.

“This game is very humbling in a lot of ways,” Glasgow said after Monday’s win over the Raiders. “Everybody’s career is ups and downs, roller coaster, whatever, but it feels good to have some ups.”