Ben Johnson loves the Lions backup QB room and the roles they serve

Detroit OC Ben Johnson loves the Lions backup QB room and the roles they serve behind Jared Goff

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The backup quarterback situation in Detroit has been a sore point since well before Dan Campbell took over as head coach in 2021. To that point, the QB room has been revamped behind unquestioned starter Jared Goff entering 2023. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a big fan of the group, which includes Nate Sudfeld, Hendon Hooker and Adrian Martinez as the team enters mandatory minicamp this week.

Johnson was asked about his thoughts on the backup QBs during his media session prior to Thursday’s practice.

“Yeah, no, I love the room right now,” Johnson said immediately. “There is a great camaraderie in there and I think that is really important when you need to find that backup quarterback position.”

In referencing Sudfeld and the reserves behind Goff, Johnson basically declared what he wants in a No. 2 quarterback.

“It’s not only a guy that can go in there and win games, but for the majority of the season, if all things go right, he is there to support that starter,” Johnson said. He then added,

“And we have that right now, not only with Nate (Sudfeld) and  Hendon (Hooker) and Adrian (Martinez), we have a good group. And they are learning, they are growing.”

Sudfeld didn’t join the team until September last year after the Lions summarily dispatched backups Tim Boyle and David Blough in the final cutdowns. In our first real look at Sudfled throwing in last week’s OTA session, it wasn’t all too impressive.

Martinez is an undrafted rookie from Kansas State who struggled with accuracy and decision-making in college. His live arm and running ability have already been on display in the early offseason. Hooker is still not cleared to throw after December ACL surgery, but the third-round rookie from Tennessee is very highly regarded inside the building.

It’s too early to judge if the team has truly upgraded the ability to win a game if Goff gets hurt. That’s what the upcoming minicamp, training camp and preseason are for. Hooker will be the No. 2 once he’s healthy, but that timeframe is up in the air. On the concept of supporting the starter, everything looks just fine so far.

Goff and Sudfeld clearly have a good relationship. Sudfeld is an experienced backup in a variety of situations and knows his role. In the two open OTA practices, we did see Goff interacting with Martinez and Hooker quite a bit, which is a good sign.

Johnson also left the door open a crack for potentially adding another option, though it also sounded very clear that he doesn’t believe the Lions will need to open that door.

“And once again, we are evaluating consistently we are putting pressure on them consistently to see what they can do out on the field in team settings. The truth really comes out, I believe, when you have the bullets flying for real, which we can’t have right now. So, the training camp will really tell us where we are at behind Jared, but so far, I feel really good about that room.”

Lions GM Brad Holmes knows he’s ‘got to do a better job’ at getting a backup QB

Lions GM Brad Holmes knows he’s “got to do a better job” at getting a backup QB behind starter Jared Goff

It’s always refreshing to hear a person in a position of power acknowledge when they’ve made a specific mistake. It can be a learning experience and wind up leading to bigger and better future outcomes.

That’s the hope with Lions GM Brad Holmes and his handling of the backup QB position during his two seasons in Detroit. Holmes owned up to not doing a good job in that area in 2022 and won’t make the same mistake again in 2023.

During his press conference at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Holmes addressed the Lions’ glaring need for a No. 2 quarterback behind Jared Goff, who is firmly, unquestionably entrenched as the team’s starting QB. Goff is the only quarterback under contract in Detroit right now.

“I feel like last year we kind of left training camp kind of sliding into home plate trying to fill that backup quarterback role, and that’s on me,” Holmes said Wednesday. “I’ve got to do a better job of making sure that we’re not in that position again, so that is something that we’re going to need to address, whether it’s here in free agency or upcoming in the draft. But that’s something that we’ve had a lot of conversations about, but I’ve got to do a better job of making sure we get that rectified.”

The situation Holmes is referring to was the process of picking up Nate Sudfeld after roster cutdowns when the Lions dumped David Blough and cut Tim Boyle, the two players behind Goff in 2021 and for the summer of ’22.

Detroit dodged the proverbial bullet by having Goff stay healthy throughout the 2022 season. When Goff missed time in 2021 with an injury, Boyle took over and did not play well in three losses, throwing six interceptions against just three touchdowns.

Holmes wouldn’t bite on specific details of how he will address the spot(s) behind Goff, despite several inquisitions. He did not exactly close the door on using an early draft pick to find one, though Holmes was quite noncommital about where he might find the new backup(s).

“So again, we got to make sure that we address everything again, whether it’s free agency and through the draft. But yeah, it could very well be through the draft. Don’t know what’s going to happen in free agency and not sure if some of those guys at the quarterback position in free agency might not be ready to make a decision at that point before the draft.”

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Backup QB plan ‘took a detour’ for Lions GM Brad Holmes

Detroit’s backup QB plan ‘took a detour’ for Lions GM Brad Holmes that led to Nate Sudfeld

One of the prime points of conversation in Lions land all summer was the backup QB position. The camp battle between David Blough and Tim Boyle was captivating–in part because neither has really done much to show they should have the job.

And it turns out, neither will. Boyle was cut after a brutal preseason finale. Blough made the initial 53-man roster but was released on Wednesday morning when the Lions opted to sign freshly cut 49ers backup Nate Sudfeld.

Lions GM Brad Holmes had brought back both Boyle and Blough as free agents this offseason. Holmes eschewed addressing the spot with a more proven veteran, a more promising youngster or a developmental draft pick.

In his press conference this week, Holmes was asked about the backup QB decisions he made.

“Yeah, I mean it’s never – it’s never totally ideal. Just like I was telling him, we had a plan in place for the backup quarterback position. It kind of took a detour that was unexpected, but you’ve got to be prepared for that,” Holmes stated. “And we just kind of made it work the best way we can, and we did what’s best for the organization at this time.”

Holmes acknowledged there were some different ways the Lions could have handled the backup QB situation. But he seems content with acquiring Nate Sudfeld and dumping both Blough and Boyle.

“I mean there’s a lot of different options you can go, but we did the best thing for the Detroit Lions and so, that’s how it goes. So, is there a little bit of risk? And is it foolproof? And absolutely no, well I have too much respect for the unknown to really not say that there’s a little bit of that. But I think we got the plan in place where Nate (Sudfeld) will get caught up to speed and we’ll be in good shape.”

Blough signed to the Vikings practice squad after being dumped by the Lions. Boyle remains a free agent and no interest from other teams has been reported anywhere.

Where does David Blough rank among the NFL’s backup QBs?

Where does Lions No. 2 QB David Blough rank among the NFL’s backup quarterbacks?

There is no quarterback controversy in Detroit with either starting QB Jared Goff or backup David Blough. But how would the Lions fare if Blough was thrust into action? How does he stack up against other No. 2 QBs around the league?

USA TODAY’s Nate Davis went through and ranked all 32 of the backup QBs. He ranked Blough and the Lions 25th overall, noting that Blough’s seven interceptions in 184 career attempts are suboptimal. However, Davis loses some credibility by trumpeting the “nifty prospect” that is Tim Boyle, who was thoroughly outplayed all summer by Blough before going on injured reserve.

Inspired by Davis, I decided to count up from the bottom to see where I would slot Blough. Based on his three starts in 2019 in relief of Matthew Stafford and what we’ve seen in preseason games, Blough is limited but not without some ability. He’s not close to the top half of the backups, so working from the bottom seemed more efficient. It was the answer to a simple question:

Would I rather have David Blough in 2021 or the other guy?

I came up with yay for Blough over the following situations:

  • Jets – Mike White
  • Ravens – Tyler Huntley
  • Giants – Mike Glennon
  • Titans – Logan Woodside
  • Chargers – Chase Daniel
  • Colts – Jacob Eason
  • Cowboys – Will Grier or Cooper Rush
  • Patriots – Brian Hoyer
  • Falcons – Josh Rosen

I’d entertain arguments for Blough over Green Bay’s Jordan Love too; Love couldn’t beat out Boyle last season for the right to hold Aaron Rodgers’ clipboard, but things do change with young players. The Packers had certainly better hope so.

In any case, Blough landed 23rd on my list. Not radically different from the USA TODAY list, but it shows a little more respect for Blough over some truly awful veterans who should have been out of the league years ago. That includes the man Blough replaced in the job, Chase Daniel.

Given the situation the Lions are in at the ground floor of a rebuild, it’s not worth investing much more in a No. 2 quarterback. There are far worse options than Blough, but he’s also not likely to be the long-term backup to Goff or whoever takes over in Detroit in 2022 or beyond.

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