There’s been one player who you’d never guess that has been the talk of OTAs, and his name is Luke Altmyer
There has been one player you wouldn’t expect to gain attention this early. Undrafted free agent quarterback Luke Altmyer has quickly impressed the coaches.
The third-string quarterback has already earned praise from head coach Dan Campbell. Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing even called him “unflappable.”
“Unflappable is the word that would come to mind. Every day, he’s the same guy,” Petzing said. “He puts in the same process, he works, he never seems overwhelmed by what we’re asking him to do or how we’re asking him to do it. He’s willing to learn and will work at it, which has been great.”
Altmyer drew praise even before the season started. General manager Brad Holmes had this to say about him:
“I believe that he has a very natural throwing motion. He can play the quarterback position, he showed that, but he’s also a lot more mobile than you think from a guy that actually can do a lot of different things from the pocket.”
Campbell also chimed in, saying:
“What we thought he would be at this point, I would say, has kinda held true … able to retain the information we’ve given him … feel like he’s getting a little bit better every day.”
Altmyer has already begun to draw comparisons to Brock Purdy, the former last pick in the draft who already has a Pro Bowl appearance under his belt.
Before the hype gets out of control, though, let’s set some expectations for Altmyer.
One thing is certain: he has virtually no chance of becoming the starter as long as Jared Goff is in Detroit. As for the backup role, however, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him eventually challenge longtime veteran Teddy Bridgewater for the QB2 spot.
That feels unlikely at this point, but allowing Altmyer to develop under Goff and Petzing would be far more impactful for the organization than investing those reps in the soon-to-be 34-year-old Bridgewater. The most likely outcome is that Altmyer makes the team as the third-string quarterback.
Altmyer was confident he would be drafted, but as the picks came off the board, he realized he would have to earn his spot on an NFL roster. Detroit ultimately signed him as an undrafted free agent, leaving Altmyer with a chip on his shoulder.
After the draft, this is what he had to say:
“It hurt. It was very painful, torturous at times,” Altmyer said. “To see the picks go off the board, and expecting to get picked, it was difficult — really hard. I dreamed about it all my life, and I worked hard for it. I knew I deserved it and kind of earned it. It didn’t happen, man, but I knew it’s going to be for the good of me, and it’s molding me and growing my character.”
Altmyer played five seasons in college, beginning at Ole Miss before spending his final three years at Illinois.
For his career, he completed 63.7% of his passes for 7,924 yards, 60 touchdowns and 24 interceptions while posting a 142.4 passer rating.
2025 PFF Grades
Altmyer earned a 78.6 overall PFF grade during the 2025 season, ranking 94th among 302 qualified quarterbacks. His 75.6 passing grade ranked 92nd at the position.
Through 383 dropbacks, he threw for 2,798 yards and 21 touchdowns against five interceptions. He recorded 11 big-time throws and 13 turnover-worthy plays, reflecting his decision-making under pressure.
He operated with an average depth of target of 9.3 yards and an average time to throw of 2.82 seconds. On the ground, Altmyer added 133 scramble yards and four rushing touchdowns.
