TeddyBridgewater

Aug 29

The battle between Luke Altmyer and Josh Dobbs for the Detroit Lions' backup QB job is the highlight of preseason Game 3.

Entering training camp, there likely wasn't going to be much drama at the position. However, Teddy Bridgewater's abrupt retirement midway through camp forced the Lions to pivot. While undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer has been with the team all offseason, suddenly thrusting a 23-year-old into the backup position wasn't something the Lions were willing to do unopposed. So they quickly added nine-year veteran Josh Dobbs to the room. But thus far in camp, Altmyer has continued to get the bulk of the backup reps. On Thursday, Lions coach Dan Campbell asked what he needs to see from Altmyer to have the confidence that he can handle such a critical role. "Consistency. Just play good smart football," Campbell said. "We don't need some wild throws, whatever. Be able to run the offense, be efficient, make smart decisions, even if that means that you're punting the ball."

Jeremy Reisman·Aug 7

With Teddy Bridgewater sidelined, Luke Altmyer essentially got double his normal reps, quarterbacking the second and third-team offenses. I continue to be impressed with his arm speed and accuracy. Twice on Thursday, he was able to fire the ball between two defensive backs in a zone, and I don’t think he’s thrown more than one or two interceptions all camp. Beyond that, he’s also got way more poise than I would expect from an undrafted rookie. While sometimes his progressions are taking significant time, I’ve already seen improvement in that category. And when running a two-minute drill toward the end of practice, he showed impressive command—leading to a win* (more on that later) for the offense.