Not long after taking over for Teddy Bridgewater in the Detroit Lions’ preseason win over the Carolina Panthers, reserve QB Nate Sudfeld went down awkwardly on the Carolina sideline after a run. He stayed down and was tended to by the Panthers training staff before leaving the field on a cart.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell didn’t give a big update on Sudfeld’s status. Campbell did offer that Sudfeld suffered a hyperextension and could “be out for a bit.”
The only question now is if Sudfeld will be out of a Lions uniform while he recuperates from the injury. A hyperextended knee is often a 4-week recovery, depending on associated factors. With the season starting in 12 days, that timeline pushes Sudfeld into being out for at least the first couple of games.
Now clearly the No. 3 quarterback in Detroit behind Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater, Sudfeld was extremely unlikely to ever see the field in the regular season to begin with. Bridgewater outdueled Sudfeld in the battle for No. 2, something that was abundantly clear on Friday night in Charlotte. The injury gives the Lions some clearer options on what to do with Sudfeld.
The most obvious is to waive Sudfeld with an injury designation. It’s the same move the team made with Saivion Smith and Denzel Mims recently. If Sudfeld clears waivers—which seems likely—he would revert to the Lions’ injured reserve list.
If the Lions really value Sudfeld enough to keep him on the active roster, he could slide through on the initial 53-man roster and then immediately get placed on injured reserve. That would keep Sudfeld out for a minimum of four games, which should be plenty of time for him to heal, barring any complications or a different diagnosis.
There is some appeal to this option, as it makes for an easy way to clear a roster spot for any player whom the Lions might claim off waivers after Tuesday’s initial cutdown. Of course, it means another player on the roster bubble gets popped on Tuesday. That exposes someone at a more imperative roster position than a “break the glass” emergency QB to being lost to another team.
Either way, the knee injury appears to be an unfortunate ending to Sudfeld’s stint as the Lions’ No. 2 quarterback. With undrafted rookie Adrian Martinez no real threat to get claimed on the waiver wire, the Lions can now stash the third QB on the practice squad and keep an extra linebacker, wide receiver or offensive lineman in its place.
