With Teddy Bridgewater walking away from the Lions, here are 5 veteran backups who best fit
Lions suddenly need a new backup quarterback. We looked through the veteran options, and there are five names that make the most sense right now.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced Sunday afternoon that backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be stepping away from the team. There’s no word on whether this is a retirement or an indefinite leave, but Campbell made it seem as though Bridgewater is not coming back. Campbell also said the Lions will be looking for a new backup quarterback, effectively ruling out quarterback Luke Altmeyer for the role. Campbell says Altmeyer needs about a million more reps, and that makes a ton of sense. Altmeyer is going to get a lot of preseason action, but he is not ready to be a backup quarterback in the NFL just yet. At this point, he looks more like a practice squad guy, and that’s totally okay.
With that in mind, here are some options that are out there if Detroit is looking for a veteran.
Jimmy Garoppolo
The first guy is Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s 34 years old, and it’s been a minute since he’s really been a starter. His last starting gig was in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders, and I think his last start was against the Lions. It was a pretty bad game. He has spent the last few years with the Los Angeles Rams as a backup, though, and there’s something there with him.
If the Lions are looking for a veteran who could come in and do the bare minimum to protect things well enough to help you get a win, I think Garoppolo has proven over the course of his career that he is at least able to do that. He’s a little scary with the ball at times and can be turnover-prone, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad quarterback for what Detroit would be asking him to do. You don’t want Jimmy to be your full-time starter, but the thought of him as a one-year rental backup is not a bad idea at all. It just makes sense. This is a guy who has started playoff games and started a Super Bowl. That’s a premium-level backup quarterback.
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs has been all over the place. We’ve seen him play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Tennessee Titans, the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots, and the San Francisco 49ers. You might remember he started for the Minnesota Vikings for a tiny stretch too. This guy is a boom-or-bust player in every capacity. Sometimes you might get something out of him that you can’t believe just happened. Go back to 2023 when he was doing the whole thing with Minnesota. He comes out of nowhere, plays his first game there, and has a really good performance that helps them win. Then you go to the next game and it’s not good, and after a while the Vikings decided it wasn’t sustainable.
He just has these moments where sometimes it’s really good and sometimes it’s really bad. But you have to start thinking about what’s out there, and at this point, there isn’t a whole lot in terms of free agents. Dobbs is worth thinking about because of that boom ability. The hope is that you never have to play this guy, so it doesn’t really matter.
Trade for Will Levis
You call up the Titans, and you say, hey, we will give you a sixth-round pick for quarterback Will Levis. I think Levis is a really good fit for the Lions. He’s got a good arm, and you question the decision-making a little bit at times, but if you’re expecting to get some sort of All-Pro Pro Bowler who’s just been sitting out there waiting for somebody to call him, that just ain’t gonna happen.
We’ve seen enough from Levis to say he’s not a starter, but as a backup, I think he could be good. He’s still young, and you get him in there with Mark Brunell, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing, Bruce Gradkowski, and Marques Tuiasosopo. There are so many former quarterbacks or quarterback coaches on this coaching staff, it’s unbelievable. I think Detroit is just a much better place for Levis to be. For a sixth-round pick, I would do that any day of the week.
Trade for Gardner Minshew
This one makes the most sense to me. If I were Brad Holmes, I would call up the Cardinals and ask what they want for Gardner Minshew. Offer a sixth or seventh-round pick. Right now, Minshew is behind Jacoby Brissett, and rookie Carson Beck just had a really good preseason debut at the Hall of Fame game. I think Arizona at this point would probably like to see what it has in both of those guys, and that could be an opportunity for the Lions to come in and try to get Minshew.
Minshew has been around in the league for a long time. Seven years, 63 games, 47 starts. He’s been fine. You’re not going to get a Super Bowl out of him, but you could get some quality starts. If you can get him for a sixth or a seventh, I think that’s probably the best route for the Lions out of all these guys.
Mason Rudolph
The last option is going to a crowded quarterback room with the Steelers and thinking about Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has a lot of experience, and the Lions have played against him multiple times. You know what he brings to the table. He’s not going to wow you with his athleticism, and he’s not going to beat the brakes off any teams, but he could come out and do enough. He could keep a hand on the wheel, and that’s really what you’re looking for in a backup quarterback.
If you’re asking me right now, I think Gardner Minshew or Will Levis are the two best choices for Detroit.
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