The Lions have moved quickly to address their suddenly thin quarterback room, signing veteran Josh Dobbs after Teddy Bridgewater unexpectedly decided to step away from football.
Dobbs is joining the Lions on a one-year contract worth $1.425 million, with $475,000 guaranteed, according to reports from NFL Network.
The move gives the Lions an experienced option behind starter Jared Goff as Bridgewater departs after initially being expected to serve as the team’s backup.
This isn’t the first time Bridgewater has walked away from the NFL.
Following the 2023 season, Bridgewater halted his NFL career and turned his attention toward coaching high school football at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern.
His retirement proved temporary as he returned to the Lions in the 2024 season and appeared during the playoffs before subsequently joining the Buccaneers.
Bridgewater then returned to the Lions this offseason on a one-year deal.
His latest departure could be permanent, given that he’s 33.
Bridgewater would finish having played 11 NFL seasons and throwing for 15,182 yards, 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions.
The Louisville alum was the last selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, going No. 32 overall to the Minnesota Vikings.
The former first-round pick and Pro Bowler played for the Vikings, Saints, Panthers, Broncos, Dolphins, Lions and Buccaneers during his career.
Dobbs now enters the picture as another well-traveled veteran who has become a productive journeyman in recent years.
The Steelers selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.
Since then, Dobbs has spent time with the Titans, Cardinals, Vikings, 49ers and Patriots, and has developed a reputation as a capable backup and emergency starter.
His most extensive playing opportunity came during the 2023 season, when he started eight games for the Cardinals before being traded to the Vikings and starting four more.
Across 15 career starts, Dobbs has completed 62.8 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,346 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
He also offers a measure of mobility, racking up 515 career rushing yards on 110 carries and eight touchdowns.
There is also some familiarity between Dobbs and the Lions organization. He briefly spent time on the team’s practice squad in 2022 before moving on.
The Lions open their preseason schedule Aug. 13, on the road against the Bengals. They will then host the Commanders on Aug. 22 before finishing the preseason against the Colts on Aug. 29.
