Breaking news: Detroit Lions close in to sign a talented backup QB in an unexpected deal.
On Saturday, August 24, the Detroit Lions defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 to complete their 2024–25 preseason schedule. The powers that be will now have to choose their 53-man roster, which is already quite competitive. There will be fierce competition to fill the last roster places because head coach Dan Campbell stated prior to the club’s final preseason game that there were only “five or six” spots left on the team. As projections for the 53-man roster are already being made by NFL experts and commentators, one writer has made some outrageous assumptions about how Campbell and Brad Holmes would perform in their final backup quarterback positions.
NFL Insider Predicts the Detroit Lions Could Sign a New Backup QB
Brad Berreman of SideLionReport.com outlines his final 53-man roster projection for the Detroit Lions ahead of the 2024 regular season on August 24. He also addresses who he believes will and won’t make the cut. Berreman selected Hendon Hooker, Jared Goff, and a quarterback “to be named” for the three quarterback positions.
Berreman offers a different interpretation of Nate Sudfeld’s absence from the last preseason game than several analysts and experts, who saw it as an indication that he would be Goff’s primary backup quarterback. He believes Detroit will search elsewhere for a third quarterback instead.
The Lions shouldn’t be supporting this scenario in any case, according to Campbell, who stated that Nate Sudfeld has an advantage over Hooker in the competition for the No. 2 slot on the depth chart. In addition, Sudfeld did not play against the Steelers, leading Golden Tate, a former wide receiver for the Lions who now works as an analyst on the Detroit program, to believe he must be the No. 2 quarterback.
Berremen continued, saying that by implying that “a more credible, experienced backup will be brought in,” he is being “bold” and thinking “outside the box.” After that, Sudfeld may formally begin considering his next career move, which shouldn’t involve playing for an NFL team any more. The Lions have a history of making last-minute adjustments to their depth chart behind Goff, so if they aren’t quite sure about Hooker yet, they should be prepared to do so once more.
According to certain NFL analysts, Nate Sudfeld will remain in Detroit.
Sundeld’s tenure in Detroit may be coming to an end, according to Berreman, but other NFL analysts and writers believe he will be the guy directly after Goff.
In a piece published on August 24, Sports Illustrated’s John Maakaron said, “Nate Sudfeld not playing against the Steelers all but solidified his spot on the roster as the team’s backup quarterback behind veteran Jared Goff.”
Though Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit says that Sudfeld “got a pretty significant endorsement from coach Dan Campbell earlier in the week, in addition to resting during the preseason finale,” he doesn’t fully commit to Sudfeld making the roster.
Reisman is referencing a comment made by Campbell on Sudfeld during the Lions’ preseason victory over the Chiefs on August 17.
According to Campbell, via Pride of Detroit, “in the end you have to know, you have to have conviction that whoever that guy is going to be able to keep this ship afloat.” “And from what we know, Hooker is a young, growing quarterback who requires time and repetitions. Yes, I am aware of it. And because he has played more, Nate currently has the advantage. He’s seen and experienced it more. That would indicate that you have a strong likelihood of keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. Will I declare that to be a given at this point? No. However, that’s essentially what you consider.
