PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 21: Tim Boyle #12 of the Detroit Lions in action during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on August 21, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Jared Goff has been bad this season, but the Detroit Lions may have another quarterback option soon.
Through eight games this season, Jared Goff is second in the NFL in total pass attempts (308). That’s about the only positive stat he has offered, as much as averaging 38.5 attempts per game for an 0-8 team can be construed as positive.
Save or a mid-pack completion rate (66.9 percent), by any other measure Goff is among the worst passers in the league. But Lions fans can take solace in knowing, while he’ll probably be on the roster, he doesn’t have to be the starter for any or all of the 2022 season. This year, with David Blough as the backup who saw his first action late in Sunday’s 44-6 loss to the Eagles, Goff is the guy unless he’s injured.
The Lions may add a quarterback to the mix soon
During pre-game warmups before Sunday’s game, there was a Tim Boyle sighting.
The Lions signed Boyle to a one-year deal in March. He spent his first three NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers, making 11 game appearances over the last two seasons. For his career, owing to kneel downs, he has -16 rushing yards on 18 attempts with three completions on four pass attempts.
Boyle went on IR after thumb surgery in late-August, with a 6-to-8 week recovery timetable offered rather than the worst case of his season being over. We’re at about eight weeks from then now, so his on-field activity before Sunday’s game was not necessarily shocking.
Chants for Blough to replace Goff were heard from the stands at Ford Field during Sunday’s game, and he promptly had a sack-fumble when he did enter. Not that Boyle would be much better than Blough, in a vacuum. But he has been around a great quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, and perhaps he picked up something he can bring to the Lions’ quarterback room.