Lions activate C Cade Mays’ (wrist) 21-day window

Mays and S Brian Branch (Achilles) are not yet ready to return from their injuries. Starting CB Rock Ya-Sin (hamstring) has been ruled out as well, and DL Tyleik Williams (foot) is questionable to play.

Branch ruptured an Achilles tendon in Week 14 last year. He is still recovering. The Lions also placed C Cade Mays (wrist) on the injured reserve/designated for return list due to his summer injury. Both players will be eligible to return after missing four games.

The Lions sought to upgrade at center this offseason and went out and signed Mays to a three-year, $25 million contract. Now, the 27-year-old lineman is expected to be sidelined for the next 8-10 weeks after fracturing a small bone in his wrist, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Campbell said that the injury is not believed to be season-ending, but it’s still a major blow to the offensive line. Former second-round pick Juice Scruggs came over in the David Montgomery trade and has played center before, so he will presumably get the first crack at taking over in Mays’ absence.

A boost for Jahmyr Gibbs! Mays is a huge power-blocking 6-foot-6, 325-pound center and should help solidify a troubled interior line for the Lions. It allows them to leave Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge at guard and makes Juice Scruggs a depth piece.

Zavala suffered the calf injury in Panthers’ Week 12 loss to the 49ers and starts out the week not practicing. Also out was C Cade Mays (ankle). Jake Curhan and Austin Corbett are in line to start for Zavala and Mays, respectively, if neither can play in Week 13.

Mays was a restricted free agent, and the Panthers chose to tender him at the original round level. As a former sixth-round pick, Mays was then allowed to look for an offer as a free agent. The Panthers could then match that offer or let him walk in exchange for a sixth-round pick from his new team. With no takers on the open market, Mays returns for a camp battle with Austin Corbett for the starting center job this summer.

Mays (6’5/311) was a top-25 overall recruit who started for two years at Georgia before transferring home to start his final two campaigns at Tennessee. Despite missing three games with a left foot injury in 2021, Mays earned second-team All-SEC honors for his work as the Vols’ right tackle. He has five-position versatility along with his four years of starting experience. Mays also impressed with a 75th-percentile relative athletic score during pre-draft testing. Mays’ play strength stands out on tape, both as a drive-blocker in the run game and when dropping the anchor in pass-pro. His biggest issue is a propensity to pop up and play high with a narrow base, gifting the leverage advantage to opponents while compromising his balance. Like Matt Slauson, Mays may need to iron out the kinks early in his career before entering a starting lineup.

Mays (6'6/325) has not officially opted out of the game or declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, but there is a chance that his missing the game could be draft related. This season, Mays has started 10 games for the Vols at right tackle, and received a Pro Football Focus grade of 73.4. As a pass blocker, Mays allowed five quarterback pressures and one sack on 272 passing plays.

At present time the Southeastern Conference requires football players that transfer from one member school to another sit out a season, even if the NCAA grants the athlete immediate eligibility. That rule has proven problematic for both Kentucky QB Joey Gatewood and Tennessee OL Cade Mays, who transferred to their current schools from Auburn and Georgia, respectively. Stoops said during his media availability that there’s a chance the rule gets changed and applied this season, which would grant players such as Gatewood and Mays the right to play immediately.

Mays (6'6/328) was originally denied an eligibility waiver in August, but fortunately the NCAA has come around and granted his waiver on appeal. Mays now must wait for the SEC to clear him since nothing can be accomplished succinctly when it comes to college football bureaucracy. Mays, a former five-star recruit, started 18 games during his two seasons at Georgia and will immediately assume starting duties at Tennessee if his SEC eligibility is granted. The Vols look forward to having Mays in the lineup September 26th when they open at South Carolina.