Jim Caldwell: Backup QB job will go to 'best player, period'


Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky has struggled in the preseason.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Dan Orlovsky has more experience. Jake Rudock has had the better preseason.

Who will be the Detroit Lions' backup quarterback this season?

"The best player, period," coach Jim Caldwell said.

Of course, that can mean different things. The best player for the short term isn't always the best player for the long term, for example. Orlovsky is a 12th-year veteran, while Rudock is a sixth-round draft pick fresh out of Michigan. They each bring something different to the table.

But Caldwell revealed little else about how the club would go about choosing between the quarterbacks, other than to say the club is weighing its options.

"We're still looking for the best player at that spot for us," he said. "That's really what it boils down to."

But that itself is somewhat notable, because Orlovsky entered camp with a huge lead over the rookie for the backup job, and few expected Rudock to seriously vie for it.

Part of that thinking was due to Rudock's struggles during the offseason program. He looked like he had a good arm, but made lots of bad decisions, which led to lots of bad passes.

But Rudock has made some serious improvement since the opening days of training camp. He grasps the offense better now, and is working through his progressions more easily. And he's hitting guys pretty consistently.

He is 16 of 22 passing (72.7 percent) for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also led Detroit's lone touchdown drive of Thursday's ugly loss against Cincinnati at Ford Field.

Orlovsky, meantime, was a big reason why that game was so ugly in the first place. He held onto the ball too long on a second-quarter pass, and Derron Smith easily picked it off and returned it for a touchdown.

It was the second pick-six of the preseason for Orlovsky.

But Caldwell said Orlovsky would be judged on his total body of work, and not just those gaffes. He is 24 of 39 passing (61.5 percent) for 247 yards, one touchdown and the two interceptions this preseason.

"We evaluate everybody for the length of time that they're with us, from the spring to now, and we continue to do so," Caldwell said. "A couple bad plays doesn't necessarily affect (them). There were a number of plays that were played in that ballgame. A couple bad plays, certainly you look at all those things, you weigh them in as part of the evaluation process."

Orlovsky has a long track record in the league, and with Caldwell. They were both with the Colts in 2011, and after beginning that season 0-11, Caldwell inserted Orlovsky at quarterback. They finished 2-3, and Caldwell has always talked about how impressed he was by Orlovsky's leadership in crisis.

Caldwell brought Orlovsky here when he got the Lions' head job in 2014, and Orlovsky re-signed in 2015 and again this offseason. He values Orlovsky's experience, which helps Matthew Stafford prepare for starts.

But Rudock is coming on strong, with two weeks to go in the preseason, and is making a compelling case for the No. 2 job -- or at the very least, for the Lions to roster all three QBs this season.

"It's kind of one of those things where you look at and balance your squad accordingly," Caldwell said. "It could (affect roster decisions) all across the board a number of different positions if that indeed does happen. We kind of let it play out and don't try to orchestrate it, and see what happens."