Dan Campbell said he preferred someone who could “run the show” to a developmental prospect if the Detroit Lions signed a third quarterback, and the team brought in two options for workouts Wednesday.
Veteran quarterbacks C.J. Beathard and Nathan Peterman took part in a five-player tryout at the Lions’ Allen Park headquarters, along with wide receivers Malik Cunningham, Jerjuan Newton and Kendric Pryor.
Beathard was a third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 who’s gone 3-10 as a starter in his career. He spent part of last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins but did not appear in any games.
Peterman, a fifth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2017, is 1-4 in his career as a starter. He’s had stints with the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons since leaving Buffalo and last attempted a pass for the Bears in 2022.
The Lions have just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, Jared Goff and Kyle Allen, who won a training camp battle with Hendon Hooker for the No. 2 job.
The Lions did not sign a third quarterback to the practice squad after waiving Hooker on cut day last week.
Asked Monday what he’s looking for in a No. 3 quarterback, Campbell said he wants an experienced signal caller who could step in case of emergency.
“I would say that we’re looking for somebody that if we need them, we know they can run the show, that they can run the offense, they can process the information,” Campbell said. “I think more than can we find a guy to develop that’s unknown, all of those. I’d rather have a guy that, somebody that certainly if we’re familiar with or somebody you just know they get in the game, they’re going to get you in the right play, be smart with the football and all those things.”
The Lions do not currently have any openings on their practice squad.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions host veteran QBs Nathan Peterman, C.J. Beathard for tryout
Reporting by Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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