Cade Mays Is Almost Back — and Campbell Still Has to Decide How to Deploy Him

Lions fans already love this offense. Getting Cade Mays healthy is the next upgrade they have been waiting on since training camp.

Our Take: The bye is not a vacation — it is the runway for Mays and Brian Branch. Dan Campbell is right to be careful at center; Juice Scruggs has held the fort, and you don't just flip that switch for 70 snaps without a plan.

Per Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman, Detroit signed Mays to a three-year, $25 million deal, then lost him to a fractured wrist in camp. His practice window is open, and he could start as soon as Week 7 against Green Bay. Former Panthers analyst John Ellis called Mays "a top-10 center" and "a Dan Campbell guy." Campbell said this week: "We've got basically two days of half practices with him… That's what's a little unique, he plays center. It's not like you're rotating a guard… Can he go 70 reps?"

What we want vs. Packers week: a clear activation plan and an O-line that stays elite either way. One Pride.

Sources: [Pride of Detroit on Cade Mays](https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detroit-lions-discussion/177142/detroit-lions-getting-backtop-10-center-cade-mays)