The start of the preseason makes it clear that the Detroit Lions need a better backup quarterback

I saw it. You saw it. We all saw it. It was so disturbing that it needs to be addressed immediately.

No, I’m not talking about Raygun’s awful breakdancing “performance” at the Paris Olympics. Though it’s probably not a stretch to think Australia’s national laughingstock might have posted a better passer rating than Nate Sudfeld’s 46.5 in the Lions’ first preseason game.

I’m referring to the Lions’ backup quarterback situation. After what we saw Sudfeld and, to a lesser extent, Hendon Hooker do (but mostly don’t do) against the New York Giants, it’s clear the Lions need a major upgrade at that position.

There’s a big reason for this: It’s the Lions’ year after so-and-so. so Many years without it being their year. They’re here. They’re among the favorites to make it to the Super Bowl. And I can’t believe I just wrote this, just like you can’t believe you just read it.

But it’s true. It’s finally true. You can trust me on this one because I’ve never taken a sip of Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid.

There is one problem, though. Despite everything the Lions have done to get to this point, there is one thing that could easily derail it all: an injury to Jared Goff.

I’m not worried about the Lions’ Pro Bowl starter. He’s young (he won’t turn 30 until October) and durable (he hasn’t missed a game in three seasons).

But anyone can get hurt, and the problem, as we saw last week against the Giants, is that there’s a big difference between Goff and Sudfeld and even Hooker, who just saw his first NFL action. With Hooker dealing with a concussion, the Lions added free agent Jake Fromm on Monday.

WINDSOR: The Lions’ Hendon Hooker brought a glimmer of light to a damp, dreary night. Then it was all over.

But that doesn’t help address the main problem facing all three backups. None of them has started in the NFL and the three have played in just nine regular-season games combined.

Even Dan Campbell sounded like he was adding little more than another camp arm on Monday when he talked about Fromm, a 26-year travel veteran.

“He’s a smart, cautious kid,” the Lions coach said. “We feel like he’ll be able to get the offense under control pretty quickly, enough so that he can come out and help us if we need to. He can anticipate pitches, and with our current situation, we feel like he can come in and perform.”

“We needed someone who we felt could work in the area and fortunately he was available. He trained (on Monday). He looked pretty good, so we’ll see how he develops.”

Can it get in and work? Wow! Get out the Lombardi trophy and the engraving tools!

I have nothing against any of these guys, but I have little faith that any of them will be able to start and win a game or two, no matter how they play against rookies in the preseason. And winning a game or two is exactly what will make the difference between winning the division or winning the conference and earning a bye to the first round.

There’s no way to prove this, but I firmly believe that if the Lions and 49ers had swapped places and the Lions were the ones who got the bye and had to play one less game and played the Niners at home, they would have gone to the Super Bowl.

Campbell has said many times during the preseason that repeating and improving on last year’s success will be twice as difficult. I think part of what he’s getting at is that the gap between good and great is exponentially greater.

Last year around this time, general manager Brad Holmes showed he values the backup quarterback position when he signed Teddy Bridgewater as an insurance policy for Goff during training camp. So why would he take the risk this year, with even more at stake?

What options does Holmes have then? Of course, he could do nothing and watch Sudfeld, Hooker or Fromm play if they are called up during the season.

He could wait until teams have to trim their rosters from 90 to 53 players on Aug. 27 and see who’s available on waivers. He could wait until we get closer to this year’s Nov. 5 trade deadline and see if he can get a cheap deal for a backup on a team that’s going nowhere.

Or Holmes could do what Cleveland did last year in late November and sign a veteran off the street, like the Cleveland Browns did with Joe Flacco, who saved their season and led them to the playoffs after Deshaun Watson was injured.

I think the Flacco situation was an aberration. It’s asking too much, even for a former Super Bowl MVP, to come in without a team and start working from scratch with a new offense.

For me, the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles offered the best model for making sure an injury to a starting quarterback doesn’t ruin an entire season and allows them to win a Super Bowl. Philadelphia signed former starter Nick Foles in March, and when Carson Wentz was lost for the season with an ACL injury in Week 14, Foles stepped in without missing a beat and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title.

A story that will make you cry: A touching moment at Lions camp: Barry Sanders is a ‘better human being’ than the running back

Of course, it helped that Foles was familiar with the franchise, but it was even more important that he had been with the team all season.

It’s hard to know what the Lions are thinking. Maybe the next two preseason games will show them how dire the situation is. Then it could be decided who is available or who is worth trading for. Jameis Winston? Andy Dalton? Joshua Dobbs? Flacco?

Just remember that championship teams aren’t built on stars and starters alone. They need quality depth. One low-quality player at a key position who suddenly becomes the center of attention has the kind of outsized power that can ruin an entire season. Just ask Raygun, who helped ruin an entire Olympic sport.

Contact Carlos Monarrez: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

Up next: Chiefs

Pairing: Lions (12-5 in 2023) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-6 in 2023), exhibition.

Kick off: 4 p.m., Saturday; GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.

Television/radio: WJBK-TV (Fox 2 in Detroit); WXYT-FM (97.1).

Regular season opener: September 8 vs. Rams, Ford Field, NBC.

Up next: Chiefs

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