Odds Luke Altmyer Will Land Lions Backup Job

The battle for the Detroit Lions’ backup quarterback job is far from over headed into the team's preseason finale with the Indianapolis Colts Saturday. 

It continues to be a two QB race between undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer and veteran Josh Dobbs, who was acquired midway through training camp after Teddy Bridgewater decided to retire a second time.

While Dobbs remains the favorite because of his prior NFL experience, Altmyer still has a legitimate shot at the job, as he's outperformed the journeyman passer throughout both camp and the preseason.

The former Illinois signal-caller has looked the part of an experienced backup much more than Dobbs, who was a member of the New England Patriots in 2025. 

In fact, Altmyer has shown more poise in the pocket than Dobbs up to this point, plus has been less reckless with the football.

For instance, Dobbs accounted for two turnovers in the Lions' exhibition tilt with the Commanders a week ago. The first was no fault of his own, as he coughed up the football after being the victim of a blindside hit. However, the second miscue was definitely his fault, as he tossed an interception on a careless throw over the middle of the field. A veteran like Dobbs should have known better than to make that throw.

Consequently, Altmyer very much has a chance to land on Detroit's 53-man roster to start the season. Yet, he can ill-afford to stop playing well now, and must further prove his worth in his outing against the Colts Saturday. 

For Lions head man Dan Campbell, “consistency” will be the name of the game for the rookie passer in Indianapolis. 

“Just play good, smart football. We don't need some wild throws, whatever. Be able to run the offense, be efficient, make smart decisions, even if that means that you're punting the ball. That'll be the most important thing,” Campbell said of what Altmyer needs to do to earn a roster spot. “We don't want the wild plays, and then there's an ill-advised throw across the middle for an interception – those won't get it done. So just be smart, take what's there, run the offense and that'll go a long way. Consistency.”

Altmyer direly needs to deliver a solid, mistake-free showing on Saturday. And while it wouldn't necessarily cement his spot on Detroit's season-opening roster, it would go a long way toward increasing his odds of doing so.

At this present juncture, I'll give the former Big Ten QB a 45 percent chance of making the Lions’ 53-man roster out of camp.