Brad Holmes says he considered 3 QBs to backup Jared Goff

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes faced criticism after failing to find a backup QB until the last minute in 2022. Heading into this offseason, Holmes vowed that would not happen again. Despite a strong free agency, the Lions have made only one quarterback move: re-signing Nate Sudfeld to a one-year, $1.6 million contract with $1 million guaranteed. Sudfeld, who joined the league in 2017, has never started an NFL game and has thrown only 37 regular season passes. However, Holmes said that there were only three free-agent quarterbacks that they were looking at, and Sudfeld was the only one of the three targets they came to an agreement with.

Key Points

• Holmes has re-signed Nate Sudfeld as a backup quarterback for the 2022 season.
• Sudfeld has never started an NFL game and has thrown only 37 regular-season passes.
• Holmes said that there were only three free-agent quarterbacks that they were looking at, and Sudfeld was the only one of the three targets they came to an agreement with.
• At the start of free agency, there were certainly more than just three backup quarterbacks on the market who have serious NFL experience.

Brad Holmes defends decision to re-sign Nate Sudfeld

On Monday, Holmes was in Arizona for the NFL Owners Meetings, and he spoke to the media about re-signing Sudfeld.

“We really like Nate. We really did,” Holmes said. “We are all aware of the mystery behind Nate, about the lack of game experience. But we did like Nate.”

Brad Holmes says the Detroit Lions narrowed backup QB list to 3

During the conversation, Holmes told reporters that the Lions narrowed their backup QB search down to 3 players.

“We were looking at some quarterbacks that had a little more game experience, but obviously it just didn’t work out,” Brad Holmes said at the NFL Owners Meetings. “But it’s not like we had a pool of experienced quarterbacks that we were just looking through. Really, it was down to 3 guys, including Nate. So it just only looking at two guys that we were kind of just looking at and it didn’t work out.”

Big Picture – Sudfeld remains an unknown

The decision to re-sign Nate Sudfeld as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions is an interesting one given that he remains a relative unknown. Sudfeld has never started an NFL game and has thrown only 37 regular-season passes. While the Lions were reportedly looking at other free-agent quarterbacks with more game experience, they came to an agreement with Sudfeld. The move suggests that the Lions may have more faith in Sudfeld's potential than his actual track record.

Bottom Line – Brad Holmes rolls the dice on Sudfeld but could still draft a QB

In the end, Brad Holmes' decision to stick with Sudfeld as a backup quarterback for the Lions is a gamble. While Sudfeld may have potential, he remains largely untested in the NFL. The Lions are taking a risk by not pursuing other quarterbacks with more game experience, but it remains to be seen whether or not that risk will pay off. If Sudfeld rises to the occasion and performs well, the Lions will have made a smart move. However, if he struggles the Lions may regret their decision. That being said, the Lions may also have their sights set on selecting a QB in the 2023 NFL Draft. Time will tell!