Jared Goff has not missed a start since his first season with the Detroit Lions, so the No. 2 spot on the quarterback depth chart has not been relevant in terms of need on the field. That fact has also apparently diminished general manager Brad Holmes' proposed emphasis on that roster spot, about three and a half years after he first said it.
In March, after Kyle Allen's departure in free agency, the Lions brought Teddy Bridgewater back for a third stint with the team. He spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a lame situation ended his time as the head coach at his high school alma mater, but Bridgewater has not started an NFL game since 2022, with just 15 regular-season pass attempts since (all last season).
If Goff were to miss meaningful time and Bridgewater had to play, the words of long-time NFL assistant coach Tom Moore, after then-Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden asked him why Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning didn't give up any practice snaps to his backups, ring true:
"If 18 (referring to Manning) goes down, we're (expletive). Around here, we don't practice (expletive)."
Bridgewater has not been a full-time starter since 2021. His leadership qualities are lauded in Allen Park, as they have been everywhere he's ever been. However, intangibles don't help you deliver a slant to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a key third down when a free blitzer is in your face.
At a certain point, Bridgewater's experience edge (65 career starts) has to become irrelevant. Enter undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer, who gives Detroit an intriguing young signal-caller with upside that might prove worth chasing.
Luke Altmyer should get a legit shot to unseat Teddy Bridgewater as the Lions' QB2
In his look at the Lions' quarterback room ahead of training camp, after saying Bridgewater "feels like a roster lock," Ben Raven of MLive had this note about Altmyer:
"Luke Altmyer has a chance to force the team’s hand into keeping a third quarterback with a strong camp and preseason, though. The undrafted rookie out of Illinois should be a great fit for the team’s style of play with his experience reading defenses, leading a unit and his impressive accuracy."
Over his final two seasons at Illinois, Altmyer completed 64.2 percent of his passes for over 5,700 yards with a 4-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Over three total seasons for the Fighting Illini, he also had 741 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground.
Altmyer's strong work during OTAs, lauded by offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell and head coach Dan Campbell, has to be taken with a grain of salt.
To that end, Campbell's praise came with the requisite forward-looking thought, previously stating that Altmyer is "getting a little bit better every day" despite having "a lot on his plate."
The point where it "really gets going" is almost here, of course.
While it feels unlikely Altmyer will make a real push to unseat Bridgewater as the Lions' QB2 during training camp, it also shouldn't be ruled out by anyone.
The best man for the job should be Goff's backup. Based on everything other than NFL experience and the perception of value attached to intangibles that Bridgewater has carried his career on, it could very well end up being Altmyer.
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