The Lions have one final preseason game before making their 53-man roster decisions—and the battle for QB2 could be one of the toughest calls Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have to make.
With one preseason game left to go, the Detroit Lions are 1-1 and have played particularly well on defense. Detroits defense has surrendered just one touchdown this preseason, which came against the Cincinnati Bengals in their first game when the Bengals recovered a fumble inside the Lions’ own 10-yard line, giving Joe Flacco a short field and an easy touchdown.
Outside of that, Detroit’s defense has allowed only field goals.
The Lions will hit the road Saturday when they take on the Indianapolis Colts at 1 p.m. Detroit is in an interesting situation, as the Lions are scheduled to play the second-to-last preseason game of the NFL season and will have to make their roster cuts by 6 p.m. Sunday.
That gives Detroit a little over 24 hours to make some significant decisions, and those decisions could have an impact on how the Lions approach their final preseason game.
As we’ve seen throughout the preseason, several of Detroit’s biggest stars have yet to see the field, and I don’t expect that to change Saturday. If you’re hoping to see Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams or Amon-Ra St. Brown in action, I wouldn’t count on it.
Dan Campbell seems likely to hold those players out until the regular season begins, allowing them to avoid unnecessary injury risk before the games start counting.
A couple of other players aren’t expected to play because of injuries. Rookie second-round pick Derrick Moore was held out of the team’s final practice Thursday, making it unlikely that he’ll suit up against Indianapolis.
Another player dealing with an injury is defensive back Christian Izien, who was injured during Detroit’s preseason game against the Washington Commanders. His injury will keep him out of the final preseason game and possibly into the regular season.
One of the biggest storylines heading into Saturday’s game will be the quarterback competition between Josh Dobbs and undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer. Both quarterbacks will have one final opportunity to make their case for why they should be Detroit’s backup behind Jared Goff.
Detroit is in an interesting situation at the position. Dobbs is clearly the more experienced option, having played in multiple NFL games throughout his career. Altmyer, however, appears to have the higher ceiling given his youth and potential.
I’m convinced Detroit will have to keep Altmyer on the 53-man roster. If the Lions attempt to place him on the practice squad, there’s a legitimate chance another team could claim him.
Dobbs, meanwhile, was a free agent for much of the offseason before the Lions signed him following Teddy Bridgewater’s retirement. He also has some familiarity with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, which could work in his favor.
But will that connection be enough to earn Dobbs a roster spot?
That could be one of the most interesting decisions the Lions have to make when the roster deadline arrives Sunday evening.
