The Detroit Lions are searching for competition at quarterback, and have managed to continue to add more at the spot on the free agent wire.
On Tuesday, amid a flurry of other roster moves, the Lions revealed that they would be signing quarterback Jordan Ta’amu to the roster. The addition of Ta’amu provides some depth at the quarterback spot, where the Lions have seen a few injuries in recent days.
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#Lions have signed free agent quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.
Ta’amu was with Detroit late last season when Matthew Stafford was going through injury, so the quarterback will at least understand the situation he is walking into.
What’s the reason for this move? The Lions might be facing an injury situation with quarterback Tim Boyle. Late in Friday night’s game, Boyle was hit low and suffered a potential leg injury in the game. In spite of that, Campbell seemed to think that Boyle could play. David Blough might also be dealing with a dinged-up shoulder, which means the team does not want to see Jared Goff taking the majority of the snaps.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell confirmed the signing on August 17 and admitted that was part of the thinking.
“You start putting all those throws on Goff, because that’s who’s going to end up taking most of it, that’s not what we want either so we felt like we needed to make that move now,” Campbell said.
Lions Quarterback Situation Feels Fairly Settled
Barring any type of injury playing out, the Lions will be likely to go into the season with a backup quarterback, and that player is likely to be Tim Boyle. What happens with David Blough remains anyone’s guess, but the Lions may not want to keep three quarterbacks on the roster. That means Blough could have to fight off Ta’amu to stick on the practice squad if the Lions elect to fill their roster in that way. Simply, though, it feels as if the team will have Jared Goff locking down the starter job with Boyle backing him up. The team has kept three quarterbacks in the past, but the jury is out as to whether the new regime will want to do this moving forward.
Jordan Ta’amu Stats and Highlights
Ta’amu, 23, still has plenty of youth on his side as he joins the team once again. The former Ole Miss quarterback was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans after the 2019 draft. He stuck there for camp that year, then was released. Ta’amu then latched on with the XFL last October and played for the St. Louis BattleHawks. While there, he put up 1,050 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, as well as 217 yards rushing and 1 touchdown in just 5 games played. After the XFL folded, he went to Kansas City before finally being picked up by Detroit late last season.
In college, Ta’amu was a solid prospect for the Rebels, finishing a brief two-year career as a starter with 5,600 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those were pretty productive numbers in the rough and tumble SEC for the quarterback, so it’s obvious he has some talent.
Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
How long he gets to showcase that in Detroit is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear the Lions are going to give him a fair look again at this point in the offseason which he didn’t get in 2020.
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Lions Reveal Signing of Former XFL Quarterback to Roster