After the disappointing end to the 2025 season, most of the attention has been given to the Detroit Lions' defensive issues. The Lions dealt with significant injuries and absences on that end of the floor, so they focused more on adding defensive depth. There were offensive changes, to be sure, especially in the trenches, but the Lions generally seemed happy with their overall depth across the board.
The quarterback rotation is one area that the Lions have historically ignored. This may be because Jared Goff hasn't missed a game in the last four seasons. This trend continued this offseason as the Lions didn't seem too interested in drafting or bringing in much QB competition.
Instead, they trusted Teddy Bridgewater once again to be their backup QB. The 33-year-old signal-caller is back in Detroit for his second stint and will be the QB2 in Week 1.
Dan Campbell and the organization trusting a familiar face for the role is understandable. They have respect for what Bridgewater brings to practice and the locker room. The issue is how much he has left in the tank as a signal-caller on the field is unclear.
Lions' weak quarterback situation isn't going unnoticed
In fact, in his list of best backup QB situations in the league, CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan listed the Lions among the worst. Among 16 teams that he categorized as "contenders," he had Detroit 15th, only above the Buffalo Bills.
Ironically enough, the Bills will have former Lion Kyle Allen as their backup QB next season. It's debatable whether Bridgewater is actually better than Allen at this point in his career. Neither Allen nor Bridgewater has started a game since the 2022 campaign.
A quick glance at the list of contenders and their backup QB situations makes Detroit's weakness in that area obvious. The Rams used a first-round pick on their backup QB. The Eagles have both Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton. Davis Mills, Joe Flacco, and Mac Jones have played at a high level and won games for their teams as recently as last year.
The Packers have Tyrod Taylor and Kyle McCord, and the Bears have Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum. They were willing to have real training camp competition in the QB room.
The Lions, on the other hand, have UDFA Luke Altmyer as the only other option in training camp. How realistic a chance he has to make the roster remains to be seen, but he may be headed to the practice squad at best.
Looking at this list of signal-callers, it's difficult to be optimistic about where the Lions are. Let's just hope that this never becomes an issue during the season and Goff starts and finishes all 17 games.
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