Dan Campbell confirms he thought about taking injured Jared Goff off the field
Lions head coach Dan Campbell admitted he almost took Jared Goff off the field Sunday, while also confirming the order of the depth chart when everyone’s available.
Jared Goff is not going to benched as the Detroit Lions starting quarterback other than a major injury this season, and head coach Dan Campbell confirmed as much by saying an injured version of Goff gave the team the best chance in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Goff played through an oblique strain for most of the game, and needed overtime (and a 30-yard completion in the extra session) to get 114 passing yards. Weather and a run game that was clicking were factors in the lack of production, but those things haven’t made a difference in Goff’s previous struggles.
Campbell made his regular appearance with the “Stoney and Jansen Show” on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday. When asked if he would have been better off going with David Blough over a physically limited Goff, Campbell admitted he thought about making a switch.
Dan Campbell may have no choice but go with another quarterback
“I don’t know, I thought about it. All I can do is go with the people around me and listen to the experts as it pertains to the injury and how he feels, what he can do. Look, I hung with him. It was the decision I made.”
Campbell also confirmed that Blough is the Lions’ No. 3 quarterback when Tim Boyle, who returned to practice last week after starting the season on IR due to thumb surgery, is available. The team has until Nov. 29 to put Boyle on the active roster, and with Goff banged up it’s worth wondering if it’ll happen this week.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions coaching staff wants to see how Goff throws during Wednesday’s practice before determining his status for Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Pelissero pointed to the chance Goff would miss a game or two, with the short week before the Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears in mind, and Blough would likely start.
Campbell has tried to make excuses for Goff, and it’s fair to point out issues in pass protection and a lack of proven talent at wide receiver. But a quarterback with limited skill is now physically compromised too, and that’s pushing things toward a change even if the options aren’t great.
