Lions bring back veteran QB Nate Sudfeld

The Lions are bringing a familiar face back to the quarterback room, announcing Wednesday they re-signed Nate Sudfeld. Terms of the deal are not immediately known.

Sudfeld, 30, initially signed with Detroit in August 2022 as the backup for starter Jared Goff and entered 2023 training camp vying for the backup job alongside veteran Teddy Bridgewater. Though Bridgewater was clearly on his way to being the No. 2, Sudfeld was forced out of action for the entirety of the season when he tore his ACL during a preseason game against the Giants.

The Lions replaced Sudfeld's veteran presence on the practice squad and in the quarterback room with David Blough, all while rostering rehabbing rookie Hendon Hooker. With Bridgewater and Blough retiring at the end of last season, the Lions needed to backfill that role with a veteran.

Last June, Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell said Sudfeld was "perfect" in a support role in 2022.

"I talked about the preparation and being ready to go if called upon, the time he put in," Brunell said. "He was great leading up to our games as far as working with Jared and watching the tape together. Then on game day, he was excellent. And it's very important for a starter to have a resource on the sidelines, in the meeting room, a backup guy that really just wants to help Jared be the best he can be."

Sudfeld's last regular-season passing attempt came in 2020 with Philadelphia.

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi