Getty Washington Commanders quarterback Jake Fromm.
If the Detroit Lions want to be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders, they need depth all over the field so if any one player goes down the rest of the team can sustain until he gets back.
At the most important position, that’s not a sure thing. That’s why the Lions continue to bring quarterbacks onto the training camp roster, signing former Washington Commanders backup Jake Fromm on August 12, the team announced, in hopes he might be a better option as the No. 2 or No. 3 behind starter Jared Goff.
“Fromm spent most of the past two seasons with the Commanders, but the team — as it transitions to a new regime — cut the former Georgia passer in May,” wrote Pro Football Rumors’ Sam Robinson. “He joins a Lions team that still rosters Nate Sudfeld along with Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker.”
Both Hooker and Sudfeld have struggled to establish themselves as Goff’s backup, with Hooker suffering a concussion in a preseason loss to the New York Giants on August 8.
The Lions advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2023, blowing a second half lead against the San Francisco 49ers.
Jake Fromm’s Career Hasn’t Gone Quite as Planned
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There was one point in the not-so-distant pass where Fromm’s future seemed secured as a first-round pick in the NFL draft.
Fromm was named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2017 and helped lead Georgia to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game as a true freshman, losing to Alabama in overtime in one of the greatest college football games of all time.
While Fromm was really good at Georgia over the next two seasons, he suffered by comparison in the SEC, going against quarterbacks like LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. Still, Fromm decided to leave school with one year of eligibility remaining and enter the 2020 NFL draft.
Fromm’s draft stock dropped like a rock and he was selected in the fifth round (No. 167 overall) by the Buffalo Bills. He lasted parts of two seasons with the Bills before Giants signed him off the practice squad. Fromm made his only two starts in 2021 with the Giants, going 0-2 before spending the last two seasons as a backup and practice squad player for the Commanders.
Commanders Have Different Trajectory at QB
Fromm wasn’t the only quarterback the Commanders parted ways with following the 2023 season.
Sam Howell started all 17 games for Washington in 2023, leading the NFL in interceptions and sacks taken before he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
Jacoby Brissett signed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots and is competing with rookie Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, to be the starter.
All of those moves were made to clear the way for a new regime under first-year head coach Dan Quinn and first-year general manager Adam Peters, who drafted LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in 2024.
That same braintrust also brought in a brand-new backup with veteran Marcus Mariota on a one-year deal. Two more quarterbacks are on the roster with veteran Jeff Driskel and undrafted free agent Sam Hartman.
Daniels seems to have already taken over at QB1. He started the Commanders’ preseason opener against the New York Jets on August 10, where he played one drive in a 20-17 loss and finished 2-of-3 passing for 45 yards and 1 rushing touchdown, leading a drive that lasted over 6 minutes and went 71 yards.
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