With Tim Boyle expected to miss a significant portion of the regular season with a broken thumb, the Detroit Lions are bringing a fourth quarterback to town.
The Lions signed Steven Montez to their practice squad Wednesday. NFL Network first reported the signing.
Montez will essentially serve as the Lions’ No. 3 quarterback and emergency arm until Boyle returns. Jared Goff is entering his first season as Lions starter, and David Blough is his backup.
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A three-year starter at Colorado where he threw for nearly 10,000 yards, Montez spent most of last season on Washington’s practice squad. He was waived by Washington on Tuesday after he was beaten out by Kyle Allen for the No. 3 job.
The Lions also signed linebacker Tavante Beckett, receiver Sage Surratt and tight end Shane Zylstra to the practice squad, with the signings of Surratt and Zylstra announced by their agent on Twitter.
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Surratt signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest in May and was waived Tuesday.
Zylstra, the younger brother of Carolina Panthers receiver Brandon Zylstra, played wide receiver at Minnesota State, where he finished as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (227), receiving yards (4,297) and receiving touchdowns (54).
He went undrafted in 2020 and transitioned to tight end this year.
NFL teams can have up to 16 players on their practice squads again this fall.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.