If the Detroit Lions are not satisfied with their backup quarterback situation, now or between now and Week 1, these five signal callers could be on their radar.
The Detroit Lions have committed to Jared Goff as their starting quarterback for this season. There’s nothing per se wrong with that, but simply re-signing Tim Boyle and tendering David Blough as a restricted free agent to come back as the backups was as boring as it was wrong.
Blough started some games for the Lions when Matthew Stafford was injured in 2019. But Boyle has the more recent sample of work, with three mediocre to awful starts in place of Goff last season. The contention here has been the Lions would have won two of those three games with even passable quarterback play, which Boyle simply can’t offer.
Head coach Dan Campbell talked about the backup quarterback situation, and which of Boyle or Blough will take the reigns as the No. 2 quarterback, on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning. Quote courtesy of SI.com.
"Here’s the thing, by the end of this camp, we should know,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket. “We should know, are we okay going into the season with these guys, or do we maybe need to make a move or something? But, that’s what this camp is about, and you know, wanted to bring Tim back and (Blough) and give them a chance to compete out here. So, we’ve got a full camp left, and I’m confident that one of these guys will step to the forefront.”"
It seems like Campbell is trying to talk himself into the idea that Boyle or Blough will really stand out during training camp. Pointing to possibly needing to make a move is telling, and quite frankly the Lions won’t win any games Goff might miss if Boyle or Blough had to start.
As camp goes on, and even when final cuts come, the Lions should be on the lookout for backup quarterback options. These four could be ideal to at least consider, as other teams shape their quarterback depth charts and 53-man rosters.