Getty Dan Campbell calling a play with the Lions in 2021 against Atlanta.
The Detroit Lions have been wrestling for days with what to do at backup quarterback, and on Tuesday, they delivered another answer.
A day after releasing Tim Boyle from the roster, it was revealed that David Blough was staying. He had not been cut as part of the team’s final moves to establish their initial 53 man roster for 2022.
Here’s a look at the final cuts revealed by the team courtesy of Dannie Rogers of DetroitLions.com. Blough’s name is not on the list.
This year, there had been much consternation about who Detroit’s backup would be, and the decision went down to the wire to have Blough as the final man standing. Just because a roster is set does not mean moves can’t happen on the waiver wire, though.
For now, Blough is the player the staff seems to have the trust in to take over in the event their starter goes down.
Blough Earns Lions’ Initial Backup Role
After spending the last few seasons as the third quarterback in Detroit, Blough will at least get the chance to call himself the backup to Jared Goff this season.
It’s a job that has been a long time coming for Blough, considering the fact that he has toiled away for a few years in order to make the dream come true. Statistically, Blough has seen time with the Lions, throwing for 1,033 yard, 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in his career in the NFL, which included an emergency Thanksgiving Day start in 2019.
During the preseason, Blough appeared to be the best player for the job given his ability to move the ball and instill confidence in the offense. He has a habit of making plays happen, which is no doubt something the Lions saw which led to this promotion.
For Blough, it’s an exciting time to finally be able to get a shot to be the team’s primary backup. Evidently, the staff and front office believe in him to be able to give him that kind of promotion.
Lions Backup Quarterbacks Unimpressive
No matter which of the Lions’ backup quarterbacks was on the field, the Lions weren’t in good shape in Week 3, which may lead to some initial frustration about this move.
Boyle started the game and played so poorly that he got the hook after an interception on the Lions’ first drive of the second quarter. Boyle also opened the second half, completing only two passes. On the game, Boyle was 5-of-15 for 64 yards and an interception. He had a quarterback rating of 19.8.
Blough led the Lions to a touchdown with the 30 seconds left in the game but was inconsistent. Overall, he was 17-of-32 for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Combined, the Lions’ quarterbacks were an uninspiring 22-of-47 for 224 yards, one touchdown and one interception. After the game, head coach Dan Campbell said the team had seen what it needed to see in order to make a decision about the backup quarterback job.
“I think we got things answered.”
Coach Campbell on the backup quarterback competition
“What I would say is, I think it became very clear. I think we got things answered, and I would leave it at that,” Campbell told the media.
In the end, it appears Campbell realized that Blough was the man best suited for the move. That’s the decision that came down on Tuesday, anyway.
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