Lions' Luke Altmyer: One TD, three turnovers in debut
Rotowire
Altmyer completed 13 of 22 passes for 130 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Thursday's 16-14 preseason loss to the Bengals. He also rushed four times for one yard, ran in a two-point conversion and lost a fumble.
Altmyer played most of the game in his NFL debut, but the undrafted rookie out of Illinois didn't help his chances of winning the second spot on Detroit's QB depth chart. He threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tarik Black with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter and ran in the ensuing two-point conversion, but Altmyer also turned the ball over three times. The recently signed Joshua Dobbs seems likely to beat out Altmyer for the backup role, but both options will likely see action int he team's next preseason game, Aug. 22 against the Commanders.
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Luke Altmyer: Headed to Detroit
Rotowire
Altmyer is slated to sign with the Lions as an undrafted free agent, Matt Zenitz of CBSSports.com reports.
Altmyer's best football trait is his brain. The fifth-year senior out of Illinois is a clutch passer, leading seven game-winning drives in the final minute or overtime in his career. The quarterback consistently finds clear sight lines and can deliver accurate balls with nice touch and rhythm. Despite not being wildly athletic, he is adept at finding an escape route when the pocket collapses. The root of all Altmyer's weaknesses is his lack of transcendent athleticism. He doesn't throw with power, is undersized, doesn't have exceptional ball security and has a lack of poise in the pocket. The positive news about a potential signing with the Lions is that Jared Goff isn't an exceptional athlete either by NFL standards, and the ability to learn from the pocket passer in an effort to fix some of these weaknesses could lead to future opportunities in the NFL for the 23-year-old.
