With less than a week before the Lions' first preseason game, there has been a major shakeup in Detroit. On Sunday, it was reported that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was stepping away from the team. The Lions proceeded to place the 33-year-old quarterback on the reserved-retired list, signaling Bridgewater's intention to retire.
This is a shocking development this deep into the offseason. The Lions were fully relying on Bridgewater to be their backup quarterback all season. In fact, they refused to make any additions to their quarterback room besides undrafted free agent Luke Altmyer. This leaves the Lions in a very difficult spot as they now have to scramble to find a capable signal-caller with only a month before Week 1.
Discussing Bridgewater's decision, emotional Dan Campbell said that they will be adding a quarterback in the wake of the news. Even though he said that the team really likes Altmyer, a veteran option will be added, per Lions insider Nolan Bianchi.
What will Lions do at QB2 after the Teddy Bridgewater news?
The problem is that the free agent options are very limited right now. The Lions could go for someone like Jimmy Garoppolo or Josh Dobbs, who are currently unsigned. Alternatively, they may have to wait until the roster cutdown date and hope that a better signal-caller will hit the waivers. They could also trade a future draft pick for a backup quarterback.
It's difficult to land a quality QB2 at this point in the offseason. No team is going to be willing to let go of their capable quarterback unless they are compensated in a trade. Lions fans have to accept the fact that they are going to have one of the weaker backup QB situations in the league.
They also have to hope that Jared Goff continues his healthy streak. He has not missed a game in four seasons. If that remains the case, then the Lions don't have anything to worry about. If it's not, then the Lions could be in trouble, especially considering how small the margin of error is in the NFC North.
It's impossible for us to know what went down behind the scenes with Bridgewater. This was surely a difficult decision for the veteran QB, who had previously announced his retirement after the 2023 season, only to come back a year later. Given his injury history and the physical and psychological demands of the NFL, his decision has to be respected.
However, it still puts the Lions in a tough spot, and let's hope that GM Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell can find the best solution quickly.
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