Detroit Lions Sign Undrafted Quarterback Luke Altmyer

Apr 26, 2026, 14:47

Introduction

After the 2026 NFL Draft ended, the Detroit Lions signed Luke Altmyer, a former quarterback from the University of Illinois, as an undrafted free agent.

Main Body

The Lions signed Altmyer to increase the number of available quarterbacks on their roster. Currently, the team relies on primary starter Jared Goff and veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who returned to the team in March. Goff is known for his reliability, as he played almost every offensive play in 2025 and has not missed a game since late 2021. Altmyer transferred from Ole Miss in December 2022 and spent three seasons as the starter for Illinois. During his final college season in 2025, he completed 67.4% of his passes, recording 22 touchdowns and five interceptions. Although some experts predicted he would be picked in the sixth or seventh round, Altmyer was not selected in the draft. This result continues a long trend, as no Illinois quarterback has been drafted since 2002. However, other players from the university, such as Gabe Jacas and Miles Scott, were selected in 2026. Analysts emphasized that Altmyer could benefit from training with Jared Goff. Furthermore, they claimed that being undrafted might motivate him to work harder to earn a permanent spot on the team during training camp.

Conclusion

Luke Altmyer has joined the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent, where he will compete for a backup position behind Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater.

Vocabulary Learning

emphasize (v.)
stress / to give special importance or prominence to something強調；重視
Example:The teacher wanted to emphasize the importance of regular practice.
motivate (v.)
inspire / to provide someone with a reason for doing something激勵；驅使
Example:The desire to win the championship will motivate the players to train harder.
reliability (n.)
dependability / the quality of being trustworthy or performing consistently well可靠性；可信賴度
Example:The manager praised the employee for his reliability and hard work.
roster (n.)
list / a list of people's names, especially of sports players名單；球員名冊
Example:The coach announced the final roster for the upcoming tournament.
transfer (v.)
move / to move from one place, school, or team to another轉校；轉移
Example:She decided to transfer to a different university to study engineering.

Sentence Learning

Currently, the team relies on primary starter Jared Goff and veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who returned to the team in March.
Relative Clause: This non-defining relative clause provides extra information about Teddy Bridgewater without changing the main meaning of the sentence.關係子句：此非限定性關係子句為 Teddy Bridgewater 提供了額外資訊，且不影響句子的主要意思。
Goff is known for his reliability, as he played almost every offensive play in 2025 and has not missed a game since late 2021.
Present Perfect Tense: The use of 'has not missed' describes a state that started in the past and continues to the present moment.現在完成式：使用「has not missed」來描述一個從過去開始並持續到現在的狀態。
Although some experts predicted he would be picked in the sixth or seventh round, Altmyer was not selected in the draft.
Linking Word - Contrast: 'Although' is used to introduce a subordinating clause that shows a contrast with the main clause.連接詞 — 對比：「Although」用於引導從句，以顯示與主句之間的對比。
This result continues a long trend, as no Illinois quarterback has been drafted since 2002.
Passive Voice: The present perfect passive 'has been drafted' focuses on the person receiving the action rather than the teams doing the drafting.被動語態：現在完成式被動語態「has been drafted」側重於接受動作的人，而非執行選秀的球隊。
Furthermore, they claimed that being undrafted might motivate him to work harder to earn a permanent spot on the team during training camp.
Gerund as Subject: The gerund phrase 'being undrafted' acts as the subject within the noun clause to describe a specific situation.動名詞作主語：動名詞短語「being undrafted」在名詞子句中充當主語，用以描述一個特定的情況。