The Lions are heading into 2026 looking for a better result after finishing 9-8 a season ago. Dan Campbell has also changed how Detroit approaches training camp this summer, easing off full-contact tackling in the early sessions and putting more emphasis on technique work instead.
The physical stuff, according to Campbell, will come later once the team gets further into camp. Detroit spent much of the offseason building depth around Jared Goff, and for a while that meant a quiet summer at the quarterback position.
That changed this week. Teddy Bridgewater is stepping away from the team, according to Campbell, who told reporters Aug. 9 that the 33-year-old plans to retire, closing out a brief stint with the Lions. Bridgewater signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal in March and was expected to serve as Goff's backup heading into the season.
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Detroit has since placed him on the reserve/retired list following Campbell's comments, and the team has already moved to fill the opening behind Goff.
According to NFL Network's Mike Garafalo, the Lions are signing veteran Josh Dobbs to a one-year, $1.425 million deal with $475,000 fully guaranteed, a notable commitment for a No. 2 quarterback so soon after Bridgewater's retirement.
He has appeared in 27 regular-season games in his career, including 15 starts.
Detroit currently has just one other quarterback on the roster in Luke Altmyer, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, which makes the Dobbs signing a logical move given the numbers and his history with the organization.
Dobbs already spent time in Detroit back in 2022, joining the Lions' practice squad for 16 days before Tennessee signed him to its active roster.
The 31-year-old entered the league as a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in 2017 and has since played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots.
