As the Detroit Lions' preseason comes to a close on Saturday and roster cuts loom, Lions head coach Dan Campbell shared what he needs to see out of rookie quarterback Luke Altmyer in order for him to make Detroit's 53-man roster.
"Consistency. 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.
"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," Campbell said.
Altmyer, who signed as an undrafted free agent
out of Illinois, completed 13 of 22 passes for 130 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Lions' preseason opener at the Cincinnati Bengals. The 6-foot-1, 213-pound quarterback's first interception came off an Isaac TeSlaa drop. His second was on an overthrow as he tried to orchestrate a game-winning drive with just :25 remaining, trailing, 16-14.
Altmyer was 9 of 13 for 86 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions during the Lions' 17-13 win over the Washington Commanders in Detroit's second preseason game.
Despite the intrigue in Altmyer's play, the Lions have preferred to have a veteran set of eyes behind Jared Goff in the past few years, be it Teddy Bridgewater, David Blough, or Kyle Allen. However, Campbell said that its typical preference for experience won't blind them to the potential in a young, improving player in training camp, like Altmyer.
“I mean, you would like that because those guys have played. There's real reps. They’ve been under real fire in real football games and that is important. But that’s not the end-all, be-all either. If you think there’s somebody to work with here and that he’s shown enough progress and he’s only going to get better, then we don’t close our eyes to that either," Campbell said.
Because Joshua Dobbs is a veteran, the Lions could release him and not subject him to waivers. Detroit could then sign Dobbs back later to its practice squad. Conversely, because of his lack of accrued seasons, Altmyer would be subject to waivers. That means Altmyer would need to clear waivers before the Lions could re-sign him.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Dan Campbell shares what Lions need to see from Luke Altmyer vs. Colts
