Getty NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported the Detroit Lions have signed quarterback David Blough, who started five games for the Lions in 2019, to the team's practice squad.
Injuries caused the Detroit Lions not to have a third quarterback on the 53-man roster on August 29. But the Lions have added another signal caller, a familiar face, to their practice squad.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on August 31 that the Lions are signing veteran quarterback David Blough to the practice squad.
Reunion: The #Lions are signing QB David Blough to their practice squad, per source.
Blough started two games for the Arizona Cardinals last season. He also started five games for the Lions in 2019.
Blough spent three years with the Lions after the team acquired him in a trade just before the 2019 season. He has posted a 57% completion percentage, 5.9 yards per pass, 6 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 9 NFL games during his career.
Lions Add Third QB to Practice Squad
As expected, the Lions placed rookie signal caller Hendon Hooker on the non-football injury list to begin the season. Backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld is also dealing with an injury that he sustained during the team’s final preseason game.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on August 28 that Sudfeld has a torn ACL.
There was probably at least a 50/50 chance that the Lions were planning to cut Sudfeld anyway. But, the injury forced the Lions, by default, to keep just two quarterbacks at the roster cut deadline on August 29.
The Lions, though, have found depth behind center by adding Blough on the practice squad.
Blough spent training camp with the Cardinals, but Arizona released him on roster cutdown day. The Cardinals also cut another former Lions quarterback, Jeff Driskel.
In 2019, Blough started five games for the Lions after the team’s top two quarterbacks, Matthew Stafford and Driskel, suffered season-ending injuries. Blough completed 54% of his passes for 984 yards, 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while posting an 0-5 record in 2019.
He went 0-2 as Arizona’s starter last year.
The Lions cut Blough in 2020, but he returned to the team on the practice squad. He dressed for one game during 2020 and another contest in 2021 for Detroit.
In addition to the Lions and Cardinals, Blough has spent time on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad during his career.
The NFL has a new rule this season that a third quarterback can dress on game days and not count towards one of the official roster spots. However, the Lions would have to sign Blough to the active roster in order to take advantage of the rule.
Detroit Filling Out Practice Squad
The Lions have yet to confirm all of their practice squad signings, but including Blough, they have unofficially signed 14 players to the practice squad. The maximum allowed on the practice squad is 16.
Blough is one of three players on the Detroit practice squad who has at least three years of NFL experience. The other two are wide receiver Daurice Fountain and kicker Michael Badgley.
Fountain was a fifth-round pick for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2018 NFL draft. He didn’t appear in a regular season game last season, but he’s dressed for nine contests in his career.
Badgley has a lot of kicking experience, including for the Lions. He kicked 12 games for Detroit last season, posting an 83.3% field-goal percentage. Badgley has also spent time with the Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Chicago Bears.
In total, eight of Detroit’s current 14 practice squad players play offense. Other than Blough and Fountain, those players are running back Zonovan Knight, wide receivers Dylan Drummond and Maurice Alexander, guard Kayode Awosika and offensive tackles Max Pircher and Connor Galvin.
On defense, the Lions have signed edge rusher Raymond Johnson III, defensive tackle Chris Smith, linebacker Trevor Nowaske, cornerback Chase Lucas and safety Brandon Joseph to the practice squad.
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Lions Bringing Back Former Starting QB on Practice Squad: Report