Dan Campbell still has not officially named Jared Goff’s backup quarterback.
He may not need to.
Josh Dobbs picked a pretty good time to play his best football of the preseason, delivering an efficient performance during Detroit’s 25-16 preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
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Then Campbell spoke.
And while the Lions coach stopped short of declaring Dobbs the winner of the QB2 competition, he certainly sounded like a coach who liked what he saw.
Before the preseason finale, Campbell laid out exactly what he wanted to see from the quarterbacks.
Nothing heroic.
Nothing reckless.
Just run the offense.
“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 before the game.
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Dobbs apparently listened.
The veteran completed 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, finished with a 129.8 passer rating and did not turn the football over. He led Detroit on three touchdown drives, including a sharp two-minute possession just before halftime. His final preseason performance was easily his strongest of the summer.
That is basically Campbell’s pregame checklist with a giant blue checkmark next to every item.
This is where things get interesting.
Campbell could have given Dobbs the usual preseason treatment.
He did some good things. We’ll watch the tape. We’ll see.
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Instead, he went considerably further.
“I thought Dobbs really played well today. I thought he really showed out and I just love his composure and conviction. He knows what he wants and we scored,” Campbell said after the win.
Read those words again.
Composure. Conviction. He knows what he wants. We scored.
Those are not insignificant compliments from Campbell when discussing the player whose primary responsibility would be keeping Detroit’s season alive if Goff were forced to miss time.
The Lions entered Saturday with the QB2 competition still legitimately unsettled.
Dobbs may have changed that.
Luke Altmyer’s afternoon looked much different on the stat sheet.
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The undrafted rookie completed 7 of 11 passes for 55 yards, threw an interception, lost a fumble and took two sacks.
That sounds ugly.
Campbell’s evaluation was more forgiving.
“The first one was not his fault. We had a bust outside and if we did that right, that guy wouldn’t have even been there. I don’t blame that on Luke. There was just a couple of times where he held it too long and we’ve talked about that. I’m not discouraged by it,” Campbell said.
That matters, too.
Campbell clearly was not interested in blaming Altmyer for every negative play that occurred Saturday.
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And he has repeatedly made it clear that Detroit sees something worth developing in the rookie.
Earlier in the week, Campbell explained why Detroit would not automatically hand the backup job to a veteran simply because he has played more NFL football.
“I mean, you would like that because those guys have played, those are 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.
So Altmyer’s future in Detroit remains interesting.
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His path to QB2 just became considerably harder.
Backup quarterback ranked as one of Detroit’s most important remaining roster battles heading into final cuts for a reason.
Nobody wants to think about Goff getting hurt.
Brad Holmes has to.
And if Detroit believes it has a roster capable of playing deep into January, the organization has to decide which quarterback gives it the best chance of surviving if No. 16 misses a game or two.
Altmyer offers youth and development.
Dobbs offers experience.
On Saturday, Dobbs also offered production.
That is a pretty persuasive combination.
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Campbell still has film to watch. He and Holmes still have roster decisions to make before Sunday’s deadline. And perhaps Detroit finds a way to keep Altmyer in the organization while going with Dobbs as Goff’s immediate backup.
But Saturday was supposed to be the final exam.
Dobbs walked out of Indianapolis looking like he passed it.
Campbell’s postgame comments only made that feeling stronger.
