3 sneaky moves the Detroit Lions could do to get a backup quarterback

1. Give Tyler Huntley a restricted free agent tender

Lost in all the Lamar Jackson stuff was the news the Ravens tendered Huntley, a restricted free agent, at the lowest possible level–it’s worth noting he was an undrafted free agent. As in, they will receive no compensation if he signs an offer sheet with another team and they don’t match it.

It was easy to lament how Huntley was a Pro Bowler despite the production he had filling in for Jackson last season. But he also made four starts for an injured Jackson in 2021, with a fifth game where he played most of the game.

In that handful of games, he completed 66.1 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and four interceptions. He also notably had 284 rushing yards (on 44 attempts) and two scores on the ground. Yes, those are not fantastic numbers. But his showing in a narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers in 2021 was memorable (215 passing yards, 73 rushing yards and four total touchdowns without a turnover), and he has a playoff start on his resume.

There is no draft pick compensation tied to taking a shot and signing Huntley to a restricted free agent tender. If they Ravens match, so be it.

If they don’t match, you’ve secured a capable backup quarterback who would (at least) be a candidate to start for multiple teams. That’s the kind of No. 2 quarterback the Lions should seek, and the options that fit that bill are not numerous anymore.

The Ravens truly hurt Huntley by tendering him how they did, instead of just letting him hit the market as an unrestricted free agent, since they won’t get draft pick compensation by tendering him that way. For the Lions, and any team looking for a backup quarterback, there’s no risk attached to getting an offer sheet in and seeing what happens.