Allen Park — With backup quarterbacks Tim Boyle and David Blough dealing with minor injuries, and not wanting to overwork starter Jared Goff, the Detroit Lions signed quarterback Jordan Ta’amu on Tuesday.
“Pretty soon, you start putting all those throws on Goff, because that’s going to end up taking most of it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “That’s not what we want, either, so we just felt we needed to make that move from now.”
Undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2019, Ta’amu originally signed with the Houston Texans. He’s also spent time with Kansas City, as well as a previous stint with the Lions last December.
In between NFL jobs, he quarterbacked for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. In five games in the now-defunct league, he completed 72% of his throws for 1,050 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He added another 217 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries.
As a senior at Ole Miss in 2018, he posted similarly big numbers, throwing for 3,918 yards and rushing for 342, combining for 25 total touchdowns.
Boyle is currently dealing with an ankle injury, suffered in the preseason opener, while Blough has a minor shoulder issue. Campbell noted neither were serious and he remained hopeful that Boyle could play in the team’s preseason contest against the Steelers on Saturday.
Injury updates
Michael Brockers, the veteran defensive lineman acquired for a seventh-round draft pick this offseason, continues to be significantly limited on the practice field.
Originally explained as veteran maintenance by Campbell, the coach acknowledged there’s more to it than that, but the team is still confident he’ll be ready for the season.
“Look, he’s had some things throughout his career, and it really is getting better,” Campbell said. “We are being very conservative with him. Because he does, he can still play at a high level, we believe, but he also has a lot of miles on him. So we don’t feel like we’re in panic mode with him yet. He’s at the walk-throughs, he’s mentally engaged. So we’re just trying to be smart about it.”
Another starter dealing with an injury, running back D’Andre Swift, continues to progress toward full strength, according to Campbell.
“He got out there and ran a little bit,” Campbell said. “Today, we’re going to do a little bit more with him off to the side, do a little walk-through off to the side. Hopefully we can get him out to practice on Thursday is the plan, as long as everything goes well. But he’s trending the right way.”
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers