The Detroit Lions may have most of their roster sorted heading into the preseason finale, but the backup quarterback spot still looks unsettled.
That battle changed fast when Teddy Bridgewater retired in the middle of camp. Before that, the Lions didn’t appear headed for much of a competition behind Jared Goff.
Then the team had to adjust, and while undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer had been around all offseason, Detroit wasn’t ready to hand him the job without bringing in more experience. That’s when the Lions added nine-year veteran Josh Dobbs.
Even with Dobbs in the mix, Altmyer has kept getting the bulk of the backup snaps in camp. What once seemed like a long shot - Altmyer backing up Goff - is now looking like a real possibility.
On Thursday, Dan Campbell laid out exactly what he wants to see from Altmyer before trusting him in that role.
“Consistency. Just play good smart football,” Campbell said.
“We don’t need some wild throws, whatever. Be able to run the offense, be efficient, make smart decisions, even if that means that you’re punting the ball.
That’ll be the most important thing. We don’t want the wild plays and then there’s an ill-advised throw across the middle for an intercept-those won’t get it done.
So just be smart, take what’s there, run the offense and that’ll go a long way.”
That mention of an ill-advised throw across the middle stood out, especially with Dobbs having thrown an interception over the middle in the Lions’ second preseason game last week.
Detroit has usually leaned toward having a veteran behind Goff under Campbell. Bridgewater, David Blough and Kyle Allen all fit that mold, with 2024 being the lone exception when Hendon Hooker and Jake Fromm were in the room.
Campbell said the Lions do value that experience, but he made it clear it won’t automatically win the job.
“I mean, you would like that because those guys have played, there are real reps. They’ve been under real fire in real football games and that is important.
But that’s not the end all be all, either,” Campbell said. “If you think there’s somebody to work with here and that he’s shown enough progress and he’s only going to get better, then we don’t close our eyes to that either.”
There’s also a roster-management wrinkle here. Because Dobbs is a veteran, the Lions could release him, avoid waivers, and potentially bring him back later on either the practice squad or the 53-man roster.
At the same time, the chances of Altmyer getting claimed if Detroit cuts him may not be especially high. Last year, there were 27 waiver claims after the league’s initial roster cuts, and only one quarterback - Tommy Devito - was claimed.
For now, though, the Lions are holding off on any final call until after Saturday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts. How they divide the snaps between Altmyer and Dobbs remains to be seen, but that game could end up deciding who sticks as Goff’s backup.
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