The Detroit Lions made a handful of roster changes before Sunday’s training camp practice, headlined by Teddy Bridgewater being moved to the reserve/retired list.
Bridgewater’s departure followed Dan Campbell’s announcement that the veteran quarterback is stepping away. Campbell made clear how much Bridgewater meant to the team.
“I’ve known Teddy a long time, and, man, the human being is unbelievable,” Campbell said. “Certainly the player, everything he’s about, the teammate that he is, the way he prepares.
Always played the game up here and had a huge heart. He’s going to be missed.”
Campbell also said the Lions plan to add a veteran backup quarterback, with the team hoping to get that done by Monday.
Detroit also signed cornerback Ryan Cooper and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, while waiving tight end Nick Muse.
Cooper was one of three defenders who worked out for the Lions over the weekend. He most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL, where he put up 25 tackles, four pass breakups and an interception in nine games.
The 5-foot-11, 184-pound corner has just one NFL appearance to his name, logging six special teams snaps for the Baltimore Ravens in 2024. The Lions were looking for extra help at cornerback with D.J.
Reed sidelined by a minor groin injury, and they also waived De’Shawn Rucker with an injury designation.
Ogbongbemiga brings more experience. He has spent five seasons in the NFL, with 72 games and three starts since 2021.
Though he went undrafted in the NFL, he was a first-round pick in the CFL in 2021 before choosing the NFL path. That decision landed him on the Los Angeles Chargers’ 53-man roster as a rookie, and he played in 15 games that season.
He stayed with the Chargers for two more years, mainly as a special teams contributor, piling up 932 snaps on special teams over three seasons.
Over the past two seasons, Ogbongbemiga played for the Bears, again carving out a role on special teams. He logged 499 snaps before Chicago released him earlier this offseason in February.
The Lions have been thin at linebacker as well, with Malcolm Rodriguez dealing with an ankle injury and Jimmy Rolder out with a hamstring issue.
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