The Lions should be first in line for a former second-round quarterback once he’s cut, especially since this week has shown they need a new QB2
The Detroit Lions may need to go QB shopping after what we’ve seen this week. And one former second-round pick could be about to hit the market at exactly the right time. If he gets cut, Detroit should be first in line.
If there was one thing I learned from Detroit Lions practice on Wednesday, it’s that the Lions probably do not see Josh Dobbs as their backup quarterback. And it’s kind of been the way I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.
When Detroit signed Dobbs, it felt more like a kicking-the-tires type of move. He had been in the building before in 2022 for only a few weeks, but there was some familiarity there. From the jump, though, it hasn’t looked like a long-term fit. His first practice? He didn’t practice. He just sat off to the side with quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, threw the ball a few times, but never got into any drills. The second practice brought a little more action, and then in the preseason game, he played a quarter.
I thought Dobbs looked okay during that quarter. But after the half, the Lions just put quarterback Luke Altmyer back in. At this point, it’s clear they see Altmyer as the better option.
Wednesday’s practice told the whole story
This week made things worse for Dobbs. When I was there on Wednesday, I would say Altmyer got about 96% of the Lions’ snaps at the quarterback 2 spot. Dobbs came in for roughly a drive during 7-on-7s, threw a few passes, and there was nothing about those passes that made you go, “Oh, okay, this guy’s going to make the team.”
There are four practices left and two preseason games. I’m sure Dobbs will get some reps on Saturday, and maybe he looks good and changes some minds. But at this point, I just don’t see it.
You can make two arguments here. The first is that Altmyer is the rookie, so of course the Lions want to make sure he gets a bunch of snaps because Dobbs is a veteran who has played for plenty of teams. Maybe they feel he can sit this one out, and they’ll evaluate what Altmyer can do with the reps he’s given.
But that’s not what you’re seeing. What you’re actually seeing is Altmyer getting all the reps. All of them.
Will Levis makes too much sense for Detroit
So what do you do at this point? I think you have to go with a new quarterback, and there’s one guy who comes to mind: Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis.
The Titans drafted Cam Ward with the 1st pick last year, and it is clear as day they do not see Levis overtaking Ward at any point. Ward is their future. Levis is probably not going to make the roster. If he gets cut and I’m Brad Holmes, I’m jumping on him. I’m claiming him immediately, as soon as possible. I feel so much better about Levis’s future and Levis’s potential than I do about Altmyer, Dobbs, or a number of other guys the Lions could have.
Here’s the thing, and the reason I feel so confident about it: Detroit is a much better spot for Levis to be. He could come in here and lean on Jared Goff, a veteran quarterback. Levis has never had that. He got thrown into the mix in Tennessee and was just told, “Okay, you’re the guy.” Who has he been leaning on? Cam Ward? Mason Rudolph? He doesn’t have that veteran presence.
He’s also had multiple coaches and multiple offensive coordinators. It’s just been a mess for him in Tennessee. That’s not a good place for a quarterback to hone his craft.
I did want to know a little more, so I reached out to our Tennessee Titans writer Austin Stanley to see what he had to say about Levis. We’ll see what comes of the situation, but if Levis hits the waiver wire, the Lions should be first in line.
The trade market that isn’t there
“The tough reality about Will Levis is that he’s clearly not going to make this roster. Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi would love for a team to call and work out some type of late draft pick swap for Levis to get something back on the last year of his rookie contract. But the phone doesn’t seem to be ringing all that much. Tennessee is going to have to cut him. He’s not going to be one of the best 53 men on this roster, and the Titans don’t have a need for a third quarterback.”
Physical tools, mental hurdles
“Levis has all of the physical tools. The question is entirely about the mental capacity. It’s about not making the boneheaded plays, not having a disaster-type play turn into a meme on the internet the way he did so many times throughout the 2024 season. He was auditioning for the Titans franchise quarterback job and failed tremendously, dramatically. And went viral doing it.
He needs a fresh start. I still don’t know how high the ceiling is for Will Levis, but he’s a toolsy quarterback who can live in the NFL for quite some time. Coaches are going to think they can fix him, and he looks good in practice. That combination keeps a guy employed in this league. The question is whether anyone picks up the phone before the Titans have to make their final roster cuts.”
Detroit’s coaching staff is built for quarterback development
That is exactly where I see the fit for Levis in Detroit. You have Goff as the veteran quarterback to learn from. You have offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, a former quarterback coach in this league for Baker Mayfield. You have passing game coordinator Mike Kafka, a former NFL quarterback and the quarterback coach for Patrick Mahomes right when Mahomes became a starter. You have Bruce Bradkowski, former NFL quarterback. You have Marcus Tuasosopo, former NFL quarterback. You have Dan Campbell, who has been a good offensive-minded coach.
There are so many things here for someone like Levis. It just makes way more sense for him to be in Detroit than it does in Tennessee.
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