Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, known for his experience with young quarterbacks, has joined the Washington Commanders on a one-year deal. He will be working with third-year passer Jayden Daniels, aiming to build chemistry and support the offense. Diggs has previously played with quarterbacks like Teddy Bridgewater, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, and Drake Maye. Commanders coach Dan Quinn highlighted Diggs's positive impact as a teammate and his football IQ. Both Diggs and Daniels are entering new phases with the Commanders, with Diggs seeking a new team and Daniels looking to establish himself as a full-time starter
Luke Altmyer had an up-and-down performance in his preseason debut, completing 13 of 22 pass attempts for 130 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions
After practicing briefly with the Lions in training camp, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater decided that it’s time to retire. Bridgewater had an NFL career that spanned more than a decade with eight different teams, but it was one five-week stretch that two of his coaches recalled most when asked about his retirement this week. In 2019, Bridgewater was the backup quarterback with the Saints, and when Drew Brees missed five games, Bridgewater stepped in and led the Saints to a 5-0 record. At the time of Brees’ injury, the Saints were 1-1 and had just been blown out by the division rival Rams, and the season could have rapidly gone downhill. But Bridgewater made sure that didn’t happen. Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who was assistant head coach on that Saints team, said one of the reasons he wanted Bridgewater as his backup quarterback in Detroit was that he knew how dependable Bridgewater could be in a pinch. “I’ll never forget in 2019, when Drew got injured, we had just gone out to the Rams, got beat out there, Drew hurt his thumb and was out five weeks. Teddy stepped in and we won five in a row. That was Teddy,” Campbell said. Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who was the Saints’ head coach at the time. reflected on how much Bridgewater meant to that Saints team. “Our experience, my experience was fantastic,” Payton said. “We made a trade for him . . . He was a great asset. A really, really good teammate. He had some rare leadership skills. . . . He was important, he was on our team during a ton of wins. When Drew got hurt he went 5-0, and I think he’ll find his way back into coaching or some role with football. I’m proud of him, and the type of injury he had was significant, young in his career.” A devastating knee injury during a preseason practice with the Vikings in 2016 changed the trajectory of Bridgewater’s career, and he never became the franchise quarterback he was expected to be in Minnesota, or anywhere else. But no one doubted his hard work, leadership and character, and he had all the traits that coaches love in a backup quarterback. Those coaches are expressing their appreciation for Bridgewater as he walks away from the NFL
Quarterback Josh Dobbs is officially a member of the Lions. Word that Dobbs would be joining the team came on Sunday and the move was announced on Monday afternoon. Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move. The Lions moved to sign Dobbs after Teddy Bridgewater informed them that he was retiring. Dobbs now steps into the No. 2 role behind Jared Goff with undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer on hand as the team’s third quarterback. Dobbs appeared in four games as a reserve for New England last season. He started games for the 49ers, Cardinals, Vikings and Titans in previous NFL stops. Keanaaina signed with the Lions after going undrafted earlier this year
Teddy Bridgewater returned to the NFL after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2023 season, but he was back in uniform before the end of the 2024 season
On one hand, football is back. On the other hand, it’s still summer. You’re doing things on the weekend. Things that often don’t include monitoring the usual web destinations you frequent while you’re supposed to be working. Now that you’re back at work, and looking for reasons not to, here’s a rundown on what you missed when you weren’t working, with links to the stories you didn’t read. (But still can.) Commanders LT Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps on Saturday. Lions QB Teddy Bridgewater abruptly retired ; he was quickly replaced by veteran Josh Dobbs. The Patriots are scrambling to replace the “ noncompliant ” turf field that was installed after the World Cup. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is feeling better ; he’ll coach the preseason opener. Shanahan told reporters that his Tesla was on autopilot before his July 11 accident. The Aaron Donald decision is expected this week . New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker doesn’t like practice being filmed by media and fans. Tony Romo’s status will loom over this week’s CBS NFL preview press conference. Raiders DE Maxx Crosby and QB Kirk Cousins were kept out of practice on Saturday after getting into a scuffle on Friday . The new Bills stadium may have some sight line issues . The Texans are on a “ crusade ” to improve their oft-crummy offense. Mike Tomlin thinks that the noise around Mike Vrabel will get “ extremely loud ” if the Patriots struggle out of the gates. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes says his left knee “ feels great .” Vikings RB Aaron Jones believes rookie Demond Claiborne is a “ special back .” Vikings LB Jamal Adams has switched from No. 54 to No. 32 , a sign he’ll be playing plenty of safety. CB Trevon Diggs got a workout with the Lions. Saints G Dillon Radunz is out for the year with a torn ACL. The Jets got an injury scare from rookie LB David Bailey, the second overall pick in the draft. New Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald refuses to call himself retired . Seahawks DE DeMarcus Lawrence considered retirement before returning for a 13th season. 49er LT Trent Williams has been sued for missing 46 of 48 payments on a lease for a Porsche 911. (“Not being able to fit in the car” could be his only real defense.)
The Giants have spent the better part of a decade looking for Eli Manning's replacement. The Saints have taken nearly as long trying to find life after Hall of Famer Drew Brees . Different cities, different organizations, same question: did they finally get their guy? New York cycled through names like Daniel Jones , Tommy DeVito and Russell Wilson before handing the offense to Jaxson Dart . In New Orleans, the list included Teddy Bridgewater , Jameis Winston , Derek Carr and Spencer Rattler before turning to Tyler Shough . Every move started with guarded optimism and ended with the search continuing. This time feels different. Not because Dart and Shough are guaranteed to become franchise quarterbacks, but because their rookie seasons in 2025 resembled those of quarterbacks who historically took major steps forward in their sophomore campaigns. Giants and Saints fans have heard such promises before. This time, there are reasons to believe. Quarterbacks don't usually break out because they throw for 4,000 yards as rookies. They break out because they already show the traits that consistently translate -- efficiency comes before production and limiting mistakes comes before stardom. The breakout usually arrives later, a function of everything else coming together. To see how Year 2 often unfolds, I looked at every quarterback since 2010 who started at least eight games as a rookie and tracked what happened in his second season. The quarterbacks who break out in Year 2 don't all get there the same way. But history shows a few recurring paths. The Launch Justin Herbert +0.13 +0.17 Elite rookie became an even better Year 2 quarterback. The Rescue Trevor Lawrence -0.09 +0.12 Coaching change unlocked his talent. The Plateau Mac Jones +0.04 -0.09 Offensive coaching change disrupted his development. The Regression Dak Prescott +0.23 -0.04 Supporting cast and offensive environment deteriorated. The Injury Robert Griffin III +0.22 +0.02 Knee injury fundamentally altered his trajectory. The lesson isn't that every quarterback falls into one of these distinct categories. It's that context matters as much as talent. Herbert built on an outstanding rookie season. Lawrence took off once Jacksonville got the coach right. Prescott regressed when the offense around him regressed ( Ezekiel Elliott was suspended, the offensive line was banged up). Mac Jones lost momentum after an offensive overhaul that included losing coordinator Josh McDaniels. And Griffin's trajectory changed because of injury late in his rookie season. Development is rarely linear, and it's almost never isolated from what's happening around the quarterback. So where does that leave this year's class? If there's one quarterback I'd bet on to make a Year 2 leap, it's Dart. What surprised me most was how consistent the results were. Whether I looked at historical comparisons or projections, they kept pointing back to the Giants quarterback. The Giants didn't spend Dart's rookie season trying to hide him. Once he became the starter, Brian Daboll asked him to run the offense, push the ball downfield and consistently make big-boy NFL throws. As the season progressed, Dart looked increasingly comfortable doing exactly that. And while it didn't always work, the results were encouraging. Dart's rookie numbers were modest: 2,272 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and a 91.7 passer rating across 12 starts. The more encouraging story lived beneath those numbers. Dart consistently challenged defenses downfield while protecting the football -- just five interceptions on 339 attempts -- even after Malik Nabers was lost for the season in Dart's first NFL start. By November, Daboll wasn't calling games like he was trying to protect a rookie. He was calling them like he expected Dart to make NFL throws. (And, yes, also like he was trying to save his job. Both things can be true.) Dart rewarded that trust. The game never felt too big, and that's a common thread fo
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The Lions have moved quickly to address their suddenly thin quarterback room, signing veteran Josh Dobbs after Teddy Bridgewater unexpectedly decided to step away from football
Rookie QB Luke Altmyer is poised to get significant snaps in the Lions' preseason opener following Teddy Bridgewater's retirement. While Josh Dobbs is expected to be the primary backup, Altmyer has an opportunity to impress and potentially make a case for a roster spot
The Lions have not announced the signing of quarterback Josh Dobbs yet, but they did announce some other transactions on Sunday. They formally placed Teddy Bridgewater on the reserve/retired list after head coach Dan Campbell revealed the quarterback is stepping away from football. Campbell said he believes this is a permanent decision by Bridgewater, which is why they’re adding Dobbs to back up Jared Goff. Detroit also signed linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga and cornerback Ryan Cooper. Ogbongbemiga spent the last two seasons with the Bears and saw most of his action on special teams. He had 30 tackles and a sack with Chicago and spent his first three seasons with the Chargers. Cooper played one game for the Ravens in 2024 and also spent time in the UFL. The Lions waived tight end Nick Muse to round out the day’s moves
A rocket scientist is heading to the Motor City. With quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leaving the team (he has already been placed on the reserve/retired list), the Lions will fill the void by signing veteran Josh Dobbs. Per NFL Network, Dobbs will get a one-year $1.425 million deal with $475,000 guaranteed. He’ll arrive as the likely No. 2 to Jared Goff. The only other quarterback on the Lions roster is Luke Altmyer, an undrafted free agent who played last year at Illinois. Dobbs, 31, was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2017. He also has spent time over the last 10 seasons with the Jaguars, Browns, Titans, Cardinals, Vikings, 49ers, and Patriots. In 2022, he spent 16 days on the Lions’ practice squad before being signed to Tennessee’s active roster. Dobbs has played in 27 regular-season games, with 15 starts
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