The Detroit Lions had a precarious situation at quarterback this offseason when veteran Teddy Bridgewater returned, and most realistically understood that he potentially didn't have much gas left in the tank.
As such, it wasn't that surprising that Bridgewater elected to retire after a few weeks of training camp, but the timing of the announcement was still eye opening. It forced the Lions to pivot to free agent Josh Dobbs, who is now likely to be their permanent backup for 2026.
In spite of that, the opportunity is there for Luke Altmyer to stand out. He has been opening eyes in practice, and is now likely to get the majority of work in the preseason for Detroit. Already, Altmyer is sounding like a player that is locked-in on making his major opportunity count.
"What an awesome opportunity. It's exactly what I could ever dream of. To be able to play NFL football, to get a lot of opportunities out there on that field to lead my guys, what a cool deal that is. You grow up wanting this, so I'm grateful and blessed. I'm not going to let it go by. I'm going to take full advantage of it and going to prepare the right way and go be ready for it. I'm excited."
Even though Altmyer believes he is ready, he understands the dynamic. The NFL isn't quite like college, and he is going to have to find a way to keep an even keel in order to have success at a difficult level.
"I played at a high level in the Big 10, but it's a different level and I think that's the challenge. Can you maintain emotions? It can get you really high and really excited, but trusting my abilities, trusting my preparation, trusting my teammates. I think that's the word. Trust. I'm excited for it, my family's excited and I'm going to do my best. There's a standard to be held to play the position and play good football and I'm going to go try to meet that. It takes preparation and focus, and I'm going to maintain those emotions."
The Lions have had a revolving door at backup quarterback for seemingly the last decade, and haven't developed a young option on their own. With Altmyer, that could change. He's a talented player who was unexpectedly an undrafted free agent, and could play his way into a bigger role with the Lions.
Altmyer's immediate future is more likely to be on the practice squad, but in time, he could force the Lions to make him a priority behind Jared Goff with his play during the preseason.
Altmyer thankful for spending a short time learning from Bridgewater
The opportunity for Altmyer comes at the cost of losing Bridgewater as a mentor and teammate. That's tough, because the rookie believes he had a major impact on him during the short amount of time he was on Detroit's roster.
Even though he only spent months with Bridgewater, Altmyer took several fantastic lessons away from his time with the veteran that he plans to put to use now. Namely, his ability to be relaxed thanks to the overwhelming confidence he has in his abilities.
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"He was so easygoing. I think I observed him a lot. Obviously (see the same) in Jared (Goff) and just the confidence that comes with that. He wasn't afraid of anything. He trusted his abilities. He was confident in his own skin. He's been gifted at a very high level by the man above. You could just tell, it was almost like there was no tension with him. I try to carry that with myself. Just being confident in my abilities, because I saw a lot of that from him."
It would certainly be poetic if Altmyer was able to seize the opportunity that Bridgewater presented for him when he walked away by utilizing some of his best lessons. It's clear that Altmyer is ready to step up and show he can be counted on.
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