The Detroit Lions are placing some priority on their backup quarterback situation, and these five free agents should be firmly on the radar.
When Jared Goff missed time in 2021, the Detroit Lions had no chance to win the three games he missed. No need to rehash the Tim Boyle experience, but credit to him for continuing to draw an NFL paycheck when there are spring football leagues to play in.
Goff stayed healthy last season, so backup Nate Sudfeld played just nine mop-up snaps all season. After the season, with no offense meant to Sudfeld, Lions general manager Brad Holmes pointed to a priority that will be placed on the No. 2 quarterback spot.
Via SI.com:
Going into this past year, yeah, we went down to the umpteenth hour trying to figure out what we were gonna do at number two,” Holmes said. “I’ve let it be known internally that we’re not gonna be in that position again heading into this year, so we have to get that settled. I thought Nate Sudfeld did a nice job with us, so we’ll figure that out. But, I am gonna make it a point of emphasis and make sure that, being that we’re finally in a position to address that quarterback room behind Jared, we have been in that position in the past. But, we’re gonna make that a point of emphasis this year.”
Off of going 9-8 in 2022, expectations are ramping up for the Lions heading toward next season. Losing Goff to an injury would obviously not be ideal, but it also can’t completely derail a promising season based purely on the failure to have a more capable backup in place.
As Holmes and the Lions front office look at the free agent market for backup quarterback options, these five should be firmly on the radar.