The Detroit Lions had an intriguing quarterback competition between Josh Dobbs and Luke Altmyer during the 2026 preseason. Ultimately, the team got the best of both worlds with the experienced Dobbs on the 53-man roster as Jared Goff’s backup, and Altmyer on the practice squad as a developmental project.
But with that setup, concern remains according to A to Z Sports’ Mike Payton.
“The Lions may still try to find another quarterback, but this one feels off,” Payton wrote Tuesday. “No doubt about it, Luke Altmyer was not ready for that job, and that is not what I’m saying. I’ve been saying all summer that while Luke looks good at times, he is not ready to be a QB2.
Dobbs is more ready, but outside of the final preseason game against second- and third-stringers, I have not seen anything from him this summer that tells me if Jared Goff were to go down, Detroit would be kind of all right.
To be fair, that’s the case with a lot of NFL teams with their star quarterbacks. But with the consistent turnover in the quarterback room behind Goff in Detroit, Payton argued there could be a growing trend.
“It makes you start to think: this team is really good with Goff, but can this team find a quarterback whose name is not Jared Goff? Because Hendon Hooker wasn’t it, Kyle Allen was fine, Teddy Bridgewater was okay but retired, and now you’ve got Dobbs,” Payton wrote. “They struggle to find a backup quarterback. There are some good options out there right now, and I think the Lions should take advantage of that.
“If they don’t, I think it’s a huge mistake.”
Will Josh Dobbs Be Reliable Backup QB?
Dobbs has a really strong reputation around the NFL. That’s because, by all accounts, he is a quality person and a very smart player.
At the University of Tennessee, Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering. During his college career, he made the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned a 4.0 grade-point average.
In the NFL, that intelligence has served Dobbs well because of how much he has change offensive systems. Dobbs can study playbooks and learn new offensive philosophies quicker than most.
But his resume as an NFL quarterback is still less than stellar. His 3-12 record as a starter sticks out as a significant sore thumb. Even taking out of account his tenure with a bad Arizona Cardinals team in 2023, Dobbs is 2-5 as a starter, including 2-3 with two heavily offensive-minded head coaches Kevin O’Connell and Kyle Shanahan.
For comparison’s sake, Teddy Bridgewater was 33-32 as an NFL starter in his career. He went a perfect 5-0 as Drew Brees’ replacement in 2019.
Bridgewater posted at least a .500 record with three different clubs in the league. Dobbs’ best mark with any team is 2-2 with the Minnesota Vikings despite playing for six different teams.
With all this in mind, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Lions made another addition behind center. Dobbs doesn’t have the resume for the Lions to feel very confident about him replacing Goff for an extended period of time.
Lions Signed QB Luke Altmyer to Practice Squad
If the Lions sign another backup quarterback, it will be interesting to see if they elect to try to sneak Dobbs on the practice squad to replace Altmyer. Clearly, Dobbs is ahead of the undrafted rookie in Detroit’s quarterback pecking order to begin the regular season.
However, Altmyer has more long-term upside, which could keep him on the team’s practice squad for the entire season.
As Payton argued, Altmyer showed flashes during the preseason. There were also a lot of rough areas that need improvement. That’s to be expected from any rookie quarterback, especially one that wasn’t drafted.
Altmyer doesn’t have the experience to be a QB2 this fall. If he has to play for the Lions in 2026, then something likely went very wrong.
But perhaps the Lions could develop Altmyer into a long-term backup. As Payton pointed out, that’s something the franchise has yet to do under head coach Dan Campbell.
Lions QB ‘Question Lingers’ With Luke Altmyer on Practice Squad: Analyst