Detroit Lions: Rookie Contributions a Bright Spot in 2016 Season
By Zac Snyder
Jake Rudock
It was probably a long shot to think that Jake Rudock stood a chance to beat out Dan Orlovsky considering Orlovsky’s low-cost veteran presence but that had to be the standard for a best-case scenario for Rudock’s rookie season. It didn’t happen, not surprisingly, but it’s not such a bad thing that Rudock’s rookie season comes out looking more like the worst-case scenario than the best.
"Best-case scenario: Carries the progression he made under Jim Harbaugh through training camp to displace Dan Orlovsky as the primary backup quarterback. Worst-case scenario: Doesn’t earn a roster spot out of training camp but is signed to the practice squad to keep a third quarterback in the room."
Rudock showed at least enough in preseason play to generate some discussion, at least with fans and media, if the Lions should keep Rudock on the active roster instead. Looking back, the worst-case probably shouldn’t been to lose Rudock to another team instead of being able to get him signed back to the practice squad but that didn’t happen.
Considering it was unrealistic to think Rudock would supplant Orlovsky as a rookie, Rudock’s first year in the NFL gets a “fine” label. It remains to be seen if he is a long-term solution behind Matthew Stafford, and the Lions very well may be drafting another developmental quarterback in the 2017 season, but we got an indication into what the Lions think of Rudock late this past season.
With Chicago Bears and perhaps another team interested in signing Rudock from the Lions’ practice squad, the Lions instead promoted Rudock to protect from losing him. That’s a clear sign that Rudock at least met the team’s expectations this year.