Indianapolis Colts rookie defensive end George Gumbs Jr. made one of the defense's biggest plays in the preseason finale, but NFL.com still came away with a mixed evaluation of his overall outing.
NFL.com draft ******* yst Chad Reuter gave Gumbs a C- grade for his performance in the Colts' 25-16 loss to the Detroit Lions. Reuter's grade was particularly for Week 3 of the preseason, rather than Gumbs' full summer.
The fifth-round pick produced a strip-sack and recovered the fumble against Lions quarterback Luke Altmyer. Colts.com highlighted the takeaway as part of a strong day for Indianapolis' rookie defenders, who were involved in multiple forced turnovers.
But Reuter noted the rocky snaps around Gumbs' splash play.
"He lost containment at times, too, allowing cutback rushes for 17 and 22 yards. He was flagged for illegal use of hands on the 22-yard run," Reuter wrote.

#reuter #preseason

Luke Altmyer's first NFL roster battle has officially come to an end.
The former Illinois quarterback is being waived by the Detroit Lions, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Sunday. It puts a pause on Altmyer's attempt to earn a spot on Detroit's 53-man roster.
Altmyer entered training camp with a legitimate opportunity to stick around as Jared Goff's backup, but the Lions are moving forward with veteran Josh Dobbs as their No. 2.
Altmyer got plenty of reps in the preseason, but he struggled against the Colts on Saturday. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 55 yards and threw an interception. He also lost a fumble.
And unfortunately for Altmyer, his final preseason performance didn't exactly help his case.

#jared

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Josh Dobbs made his case Saturday to be Detroit's top backup quarterback by throwing two touchdown passes and leading the Lions on another TD drive to help the Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts 25-16.
The competition between Dobbs, a veteran who signed during training camp, and rookie Luke Altmyer became one of the Lions' key camp battles after Teddy Bridgewater retired earlier this month.
Incumbent starter Jared Goff did not throw a pass in Detroit's three preseason games, allowing Dobbs and Altmyer to take center stage. And they essentially played to a draw through two games.
But in the preseason finale, Dobbs may have gotten the upper hand.
Altmyer played the first and third quarters, going 7 of 11 for 55 yards while taking the Lions a 75-yard TD drive. He also threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked twice.

#preseason

DETROIT — Based on what the Washington Commanders were presenting, Detroit Lions quarterback Luke Altmyer and tight end Jackson Meeks both anticipated man coverage.
But the Commanders dropped into zone at the snap, muddying what Altmyer thought was going to be a simple read. The Lions were running a play with a mesh-rail concept, a man-beating strategy designed to potentially get running back Trayveon Williams open out of the backfield. Ideally, a linebacker would be manned up against Williams, and that defender would have to sift through traffic to reach the running back.
"It was going to be really, really good for man coverage," Altmyer explained. "They ended up dropping into a three-deep zone it looked like. You don't really draw it up for three-deep zone. ... Luckily my O-line gave me a good amount of time, (the Commanders) rushed four.
"I was able to escape a little bit, and Meeks kind of just found a big, open ****** e."
Altmyer, after realizing his pre-snap ****** sment was incorrect, escaped right and strung the play out long enough for Meeks to come open. Meeks, a former receiver who began transitioning to tight end last season, made the catch on the sideline to convert on fourth down, allowing the Lions to drain about three more minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 17-13 preseason win over the Commanders.

#altmyer #meeks #lions #three

Josh Dobbs is getting his turn.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced Thursday that Dobbs will start Saturday's preseason matchup against the Washington Commanders, while Jared Goff will remain on the sideline. Rookie Luke Altmyer will also play, with Campbell planning to divide the quarterback work evenly between the two backups.
"We'll start Dobbs, but they'll play equal amounts. That's the plan," Campbell said.
For Dobbs, this is more than a ceremonial preseason start. Detroit needs to figure out exactly what it has behind Goff, and Saturday should give the veteran his best opportunity yet to make his case for the No. 2 job.
The Lions signed Dobbs after Teddy Bridgewater's retirement, putting him into an unusual August competition with Altmyer.

#start #lions #altmyer #josh

Dan Campbell announced on Sunday that backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was stepping away from the team.
It leaves the Lions' quarterback room with just franchise signal-caller Jared Goff and rookie undrafted free agent signing Luke Altmyer.
Campbell confirmed that the Lions are targeting some veteran quarterback help after Bridgewater's departure.
"We're going to add somebody. We like Luke. Luke is growing, Luke is getting better. He just needs reps. He needs a million reps. But, the reps that he has gotten to this point, he has improved. And so we like him. But, we are going to add somebody and we'd like to add a veteran quarterback. We're hoping maybe something happens tomorrow. We'll see. But, yeah, that's the plan," Campbell said.
Bridgewater's exit means the Lions are looking to find someone like Bridgewater, who had 83 NFL regular-season games played and 65 career starts under his belt.

#campbell #quarterback #bridgewater

The Detroit Lions suddenly have a new question behind Jared Goff.
Head coach Dan Campbell announced Sunday that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the team, leaving Detroit with undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer as the only other quarterback currently on the roster.
Campbell stopped short of formally calling Bridgewater's decision a retirement, but his comments made it clear that Bridgewater is done with the Lions for now.
"I think only he can truly answer that, but I feel like this is where it's at for sure right now," Campbell said via Pride of Detroit. "This is where it needs to be and where he felt."
That leaves Brad Holmes with an immediate roster need.

#only #roster #goff

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said in a press conference on Sunday that veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater let the franchise know he would be stepping away from the team.
Bridgwater had been in training camp with the Lions as the presumed backup to Jared Goff. With Detroit's only other quarterback at camp being Luke Altmyer, the team is expected to bring in more quarterbacks for workouts with the hope of a quarterback battle to determine Goff's backup for the upcoming season.
This story will be updated.

#lions #camp #detroit

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There are three guarantees in life: Death, taxes, and head coach Bret Bielema finding gems at the quarterback position, courtesy of the transfer portal.
From one-year icon Tommy DeVito to campus legend Luke Altmyer and now, a battle-tested Kaitin Houser. Bielema has an eye for QBs looking for a new home to make a name for themselves.
Yet, a position fight that Bielema admits is a "non-storyline battle" is the fight for QB2.
Behind Houser, Illinois has constructed a three-man, gunslinging depth chart with determined young men who are ready to step up, get under center, and put it all on the line for the squad when needed. So, determining who will be the number two is a true challenge.
Bielema revealed during his media availability Tuesday night that his staff added cameras to their quarterbacks' equipment, not only to see how they scan the field, but also to hear how they talk to their teammates.

#three

If you have strong quarterback play, chances are you're going to do well in a given NFL season. Some will now argue you don't need elite quarterback play after the last two Super Bowls were won by Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) and Sam Darnold (Seattle Seahawks). However, competent quarterback play is still much-needed.
The Lions certainly have top-notch quarterback play in Jared Goff. However, what if the Lions get bad injury luck and he goes down? Do the Lions still have a chance with Teddy Bridgewater or Luke Altmyer?
CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan took a look as he ranked NFL contenders by their backup quarterback situations.
Sullivan ranked the 16 teams with odds of +2500 or shorter at DraftKings to win Super Bowl LXI. Of those 16 teams, the Lions ranked 15th on this list.
Not that long ago, Teddy Bridgewater was coaching high school football. After resigning from his post at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in August of last year, he signed on to be a backup for the Buccaneers and did see some action in Week 12 last season against the Rams. There, Bridgewater completed 53.3% of his throws for just 62 yards. The last time he started a game came back in Week 17 of the 2022 season as a member of the Dolphins.

#season #however

Could Diego Pavia be a realistic option for the Detroit Lions?
Pavia was released by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday afternoon. The 5-foot-10 quarterback had inked a three-year, $3.1 million contract with Baltimore after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
As Pavia searches for his next professional step, USA TODAY Sports quickly linked the Lions as a potential Pavia suitor.
USA TODAY Sports' Nick Brinkerhoff shared why he feels the Lions might make sense:
Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmyer are the only insurance behind Jared Goff on the Lions roster. This is a perfect spot for Pavia, given how well he fits the city and the football team's mentality that represents it. - Nick Brinkerhoff, USA TODAY Sports

#baltimore #brinkerhoff

In this installment of our Detroit Lions 2026 training camp preview series, we continue our exploration of the defensive trenches by examining the Lions’ edge rushers, speculating on current and future roles, and discussing how many players from this group could make the 53-man roster.
Previous training camp previews:
Quarterback: Can Luke Altmyer force a QB3 role?
Running back: How RB roles could shift in 2026
Wide receiver: WR depth roles up for grabs

#roles #training #previous

Jul. 14—Illinois generated plenty of headline-makers, with multiple Illini teams finding both regular season and postseason success. Beat writer Scott Richey spotlights the 10 most publicized Illini during the 2025-26 school year:
The first mentions of Wagler came via summer buzz out of Ubben Basketball Complex a year ago and then grew exponentially as he put together the best single season by an Illinois freshman in program history. There was a lot to document, including a 46-point game during the Illini's win at Purdue, his slew of individual awards and honors and, ultimately, the end of his one-and-done Illinois career as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
How Illinois built its roster ahead of the 2025-26 season became a national story. With Tomislav Ivisic already in the fold, the Illini quadrupled down adding his twin brother, Zvonimir, David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic and Mihailo Petrovic. The Illinois staff invaded the Balkans and came away with four key players for a 28-win team. Unfortunately, all five never played together at any point during the season, with Petrovic not in the rotation.
One of the first items Bret Bielema said heading into training camp of his first season at Illinois was his quarterback would be front and center. An important voice and a face of the program. While that didn't exactly hold true with Brandon Peters during that 2021 season, Altmyer's role in Champaign fit the bill for three straight seasons. Especially last year when he eschewed a major payday from Tennessee to stick with the Illini for his final season.
Underwood was the first hire of what's become Illinois' Big Three coaches. It took a couple years to start paying off, but the way Underwood has turned the Illini into a consistent Big Ten contender now elevated to a national stage was exactly what a "basketball school" like Illinois needed. Underwood is still chasing that elusive national championship, but his team's success has kept the program in the headlines both locally, of course, but more nationally.

Could the Lions be interested in Brendan Sorsby?
Detroit has experienced the consequences firsthand of players violating the league’s gambling policy, with four players suspended back in April 2023.
But every situation is different, and head coach Dan Campbell was asked on Thursday if the club had any interest in utilizing a pick in the supplemental draft.
“All I can tell you is that we look at everything,” Campbell said, via transcript from the team. “[General Manager] Brad [Holmes] looks at everything, and so nothing is off the docket, so our eyes are open. Doesn't mean we will make a move or we won’t.”
The Lions don’t have much urgency to add another quarterback, with Jared Goff under contract through 2028, Teddy Bridgewater in the building as the team’s backup, and rookie Luke Altmyer having just arrived as an undrafted free agent.

Jaguars doing homework on quarterbacks in 2026 NFL draft class

The Jacksonville Jaguars are doing their homework on the 2026 NFL draft's quarterback class.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer met virtually with the Jaguars. As we discussed recently, the Jaguars won't be hosting prospects on official pre-draft visits.
Let's take a closer look at what Altmyer could bring to the Jaguars.
There aren't many quarterbacks in this draft cycle who will have more experience than Altmyer. After starting his career at Ole Miss, Altmyer spent the l