According to National Football League rules, each team had to trim down their roster to 53 players by Tuesday of this last week, and the Detroit Lions did just that.
Included in the Lions’ roster cuts were both backup quarterbacks, David Blough, and Tim Boyle as neither showed that they would bring enough to the table to keep them as the No. 2 guy behind the starter, Jared Goff.
David Blough reportedly turned down offer from Detroit Lions
As we now know, David Blough has signed with the Minnesota Vikings despite there being “interest” from the Detroit Lions to bring him back, but what we did not know is that he turned down an actual offer to stick around in Detroit.
From Detroit Free Press:
The Lions offered Blough a spot on their practice squad as their No. 3 quarterback, but he declined and signed with the Minnesota Vikings instead.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes said a change at backup quarterback was necessary because Boyle and Blough “just didn’t quite make the jump that we expected them to make.”
“We had a plan in place for the backup quarterback position and it kind of took a detour that was unexpected, but you got to be prepared for that and we just kind of made it work the best way we can,” Holmes said.
During the 2022 preseason with the Lions, Blough completed 51 of 82 pass attempts for a total of 377 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a fumble. During his time with Detroit, he went 0-5 while amassing 1,033 passing yards with four touchdowns and seven interceptions.
“I think it’s what anybody would think for the position, and is it somebody we know can come in and if something happens, you know, that they can steer the ship and they can sustain and win some games?” head coach Dan Campbell said after Detroit’s preseason finale. “If you lose your starter for two or three games, can they win those games for you is what you’ve got to decide. So that’s what we’re wrestling with.”
Despite a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Lions were reportedly interested in bringing Blough back for their practice squad, no such deal materialized from general manager Brad Holmes.
Lions are interested in bringing David Blough back to their practice squad, but they will be adding a new backup QB to Jared Goff, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2022
The Lions open the 2022 regular season on Sunday, September 11, with a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
