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Lions' Quarterback Options Continue to Dwindle as They Hold Out Hope the Answer is on Their Roster

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By John Vaccaro | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 3:58 PM ET

It looks like Teddy Bridgewater won't be coming to save the day for the Detroit Lions again in 2025.

Bridgewater was the team's backup quarterback for the 2023 season. At the end of that season he decided to retire and spent the 2024 regular season coaching high school football.

Then he surprisingly came out of retirement for the 2024 NFL playoffs and replaced Hendon Hooker as the team's backup QB for their short stint in the playoffs. He even ended up taking a few snaps and throwing a pass in the loss to the Commanders when Jared Goff was briefly injured.

Now the Lions have some concerns at that second spot on the quarterback depth chart again.

They brought Kyle Allen in to compete with Hooker for the backup job this offseason. Both struggled in their first preseason action of the year. Allen has already even been demoted after the game, falling behind Hooker on the depth chart for the next preseason game.

The Lions are going to give these QBs another look during that second preseason game, but as they wait to make changes the options to potentially replace them continue to disappear.

Bridgewater is the latest QB to come off the already short list of available options. Today he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after officially passing his physical, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This news came just a day after Tyler Huntley signed with the Cleveland Browns, becoming the fifth QB on their roster.

There is every chance that Hooker or Allen could come out and look significantly better in the Lions' second preseason game. That's obviously what the Lions' front office must be hoping for right now.

At this point, they're going to need it to be a reality or they could be in some trouble at their backup QB slot.

With these two off the list, it's pretty much just Carson Wentz and then a big drop-off to the other available QBs. The Lions have also already cut Jake Fromm this offseason, who is one of the other players available right now.

This weekend's matchup against the Falcons is going to be a very important one for the Lions as it could leave them with a big decision to make at quarterback at a time where they are running out of alternatives.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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