Getty David Blough fires a pass against the Buccaneers in 2019.
The Detroit Lions got solid work from David Blough late in the 2019 season, and that work could be what got Blough promoted from the practice squad ahead of Week 6.
As Chris Burke of The Athletic reported, the Dallas Cowboys tried to poach Blough from Detroit’s practice squad last week. In order to keep him, the Lions simply promoted Blough to the active roster. That did the trick ahead of Week 6, but moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Blough sticks around. Burke himself proposed the idea of perhaps offering Blough up to the Cowboys via trade.
In the wake of Dak Prescott’s injury, Dallas hasn’t gotten great play out of Andy Dalton, and Blough is an interesting idea being he saw plenty of action late last season with the Lions in a similar situation when Matthew Stafford went down and was shelved for the season. He’s likely blocked from seeing the field in Detroit with Stafford and Chase Daniel both ahead of him on the depth chart and health in good shape thus far.
Would Blough be the answer for Dallas? It’s clear based on what’s already transpired that they could have interest, but the only thing left to be seen is if there was any shred of trade demand on their part.
David Blough NFL Stats
Following college, Blough was brought into the league by the Cleveland Browns after the 2018 NFL Draft. He was an undrafted free agent signing of the team and competed during the preseason and training camp to be on the roster. Prior to final cuts, he was traded to the Lions in exchange for a seventh round draft pick. In Detroit, Blough was the third string quarterback behind Jeff Driskel and Matthew Stafford, and probably never dreamed he’d get any shot at the NFL fast. When injury arose to both players ahead of him, it happened in 2019.
During the preseason with the Browns, Blough threw for 271 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for Cleveland. His best game statistically came against the Lions ironically enough, when he threw for 115 yards on 11-17 passing. He did throw both of his picks in that game.
Since getting his big break, Blough played decently for the Lions, throwing for 862 yards, 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He wasn’t able to get the Lions over the top and win a game, but he was also a third string rookie quarterback thrown into the fire that was never expected to see the field so fast.
All told, many think Blough could have a future in the league after what he was able to do last season. With better health this year, the Lions have managed to keep Blough out of the fire and on the practice squad.
Lions-Cowboys Trade Potential
If the Lions are going to make any kind of trade, this is the kind of deal they could be expected to do. Many wondered if the Cowboys could come calling for Matthew Stafford in the wake of Prescott’s injury, but that would be a complicated move for both teams. A smaller move like Blough if he was available, however, could make sense for both sides.
Detroit protecting Blough doesn’t seem to indicate that he could be on the block, but it would be interesting to see what Dallas would give for the quarterback. If they were desperate enough, a mid-round pick could be an interesting haul for the player.