The Detroit Lions don't have much clarity beyond starting signal-caller Jared Goff in the quarterback room ahead of the 2026 NFL draft. They signed Teddy Bridgewater last week, but that's a one-year solution, if that, based on where Bridgewater is at this stage of his career.
Some Lions fans hoped free agency would provide a better solution than Bridgewater, but that hasn't been the case. Instead, Detroit has watched potential backup QB candidates find new homes by the day, leaving the draft and trade market as the likeliest paths to solving the issue.
Or, perhaps, there's a third option. After all, the Lions may already be in the QB room, though only at times: NFL reserve/futures contract-holder Malik Cunningham.
Lions Can't Ignore Malik Cunningham as a Potential Backup QB Option
Cunningham received one snap and rushed for one yard in 2025, largely being unable to find the field as a reserve under head coach Dan Campbell and then-offensive coordinator John Morton after signing with the practice squad in September. Still, he was a priority to retain this offseason, re-signed a day after the regular-season finale.
Cunningham is as close to a complete offensive utilityman you will find in pro football at the skill positions, even if the NFL world doesn't yet know it. The QB-turned-wideout provided depth and value in practice all year and clearly earned Campbell's trust.
New OC Drew Petzing had not been hired as Morton's replacement yet and wouldn't be hired for several weeks at the time of Cunningham's signing, proving that the Lions see something in him.
Cunningham brings big-play potential out of the backfield for minimum spend. He also brings familiarity to a position that thrives off familiarity and understands the team structure better than most in the locker room, playing with multiple position groups.
While there'd certainly be worries about Goff ever going down, Cunningham is a better thing to throw at the wall and hope it sticks than any incoming draft pick. This is a guy who amassed nearly 4,000 all-purpose yards under ex-head coach Scott Satterfield with the Louisville Cardinals during his fifth year in the ACC.
With a different play-calling situation last year, Cunningham's practice-squad experience doesn't guarantee it will translate to live-game success. Still, Cunningham gives you more for less, and his versatility means that if things don't work out at the QB spot, he can still line up in the slot and serve as a speedy threat in trick plays.
Finding talent in both trenches is far more pressing a matter than signing on someone with just as much untapped upside in the draft. An extra body or two in the secondary is, too. Those few extra mid-to-late round picks, with two picks in Rounds 4-6 each, are better off doing anything else than finding a QB when Cunningham is already in tow.
With that in mind, the Lions must at least consider pitting Cunningham against Bridgewater to arrive at the best possible QB2 solution. It'd solve a glaring need without wasting resources to get there.