Teddy Bridgewater Just Walked Away and Now the Lions Need a Real Backup
Dan Campbell dropped some news Sunday afternoon that might have caught you off guard if you were not paying attention. Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the team. No word on whether this is retirement or just an indefinite leave, but Campbell made it sound like Bridgewater is not coming back. Which means the Lions suddenly need a new backup quarterback.
Campbell also made it clear that Luke Altmeyer is not the answer. Not yet. The kid needs a million more reps according to Campbell, and honestly that tracks. Altmeyer will get plenty of preseason action but he is not ready to be a backup quarterback in the NFL right now. He looks more like a practice squad guy. And that is okay.
So here we are. The Lions need a veteran backup and they need one fast. Let’s run through the options that actually make sense.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Garoppolo is 34 and it has been a minute since he was a real starter. His last starting gig was in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders, and I think his last start was against the Lions. It was a pretty bad game. He has spent the last few years with the Los Angeles Rams as a backup though, and there is something there with him.
If the Lions are looking for a veteran who could come in and do the bare minimum to protect things well enough to help you get a win, Garoppolo has proven over the course of his career that he can at least do that. He is a little scary with the ball at times and can be turnover-prone, but that does not mean he is a bad quarterback for what Detroit would be asking him to do.
You do not want Jimmy to be your full-time starter. But the thought of him as a one-year rental backup is not a bad idea at all. This is a guy who has started playoff games and started a Super Bowl. That is a premium-level backup quarterback.
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs has been all over the place. Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Arizona, New England, San Francisco. You might remember he started for the Minnesota Vikings for a tiny stretch too. This guy is a boom-or-bust player in every capacity.
Sometimes you might get something out of him that you cannot believe just happened. Go back to 2023 when he was doing the whole thing with Minnesota. He comes out of nowhere, plays his first game there, and has a really good performance that helps them win. Then you go to the next game and it is not good, and after a while the Vikings decided it was not sustainable.
He just has these moments where sometimes it is really good and sometimes it is really bad. But you have to start thinking about what is out there, and at this point there is not a whole lot in terms of free agents. Dobbs is worth thinking about because of that boom ability. The hope is that you never have to play this guy, so it does not really matter.
Trade for Will Levis
You call up the Titans and you say hey, we will give you a sixth-round pick for quarterback Will Levis. I think Levis is a really good fit for the Lions. He has got a good arm, and you question the decision-making a little bit at times, but if you are expecting to get some sort of All-Pro Pro Bowler who has just been sitting out there waiting for somebody to call him, that just is not going to happen.
We have seen enough from Levis to say he is not a starter, but as a backup I think he could be good. He is still young, and you get him in there with Mark Brunell, Mike Kafka, Drew Petzing, Bruce Gradkowski, and Marques Tuiasosopo. There are so many former quarterbacks or quarterback coaches on this coaching staff it is unbelievable.
I think Detroit is just a much better place for Levis to be. For a sixth-round pick I would do that any day of the week.
Trade for Gardner Minshew
This one makes the most sense to me. If I were Brad Holmes, I would call up the Cardinals and ask what they want for Gardner Minshew. Offer a sixth or seventh-round pick. Right now Minshew is behind Jacoby Brissett, and rookie Carson Beck just had a really good preseason debut at the Hall of Fame game.
I think Arizona at this point would probably like to see what it has in both of those guys, and that could be an opportunity for the Lions to come in and try to get Minshew.
Minshew has been around in the league for a long time. Seven years, 63 games, 47 starts. He has been fine. You are not going to get a Super Bowl out of him, but you could get some quality starts. If you can get him for a sixth or a seventh, I think that is probably the best route for the Lions out of all these guys.
Mason Rudolph
The last option is going to a crowded quarterback room with the Steelers and thinking about Mason Rudolph. Rudolph has a lot of experience, and the Lions have played against him multiple times. You know what he brings to the table. He is not going to wow you with his athleticism and he is not going to beat the brakes off any teams, but he could come out and do enough.
He could keep a hand on the wheel, and that is really what you are looking for in a backup quarterback.
If you are asking me right now, I think Gardner Minshew or Will Levis are the two best choices for Detroit.
