The return of the third quarterback rule came not from a Competition Committee recommendation, but from a proposal made by the Lions. And, as noted by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, there’s no guarantee the Lions will take advantage of the reconstituted rule.
To dress a third quarterback, a team must carry three quarterbacks on the active roster. That means, for the Lions, retaining Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater, and (presumably) Nate Sudfeld. (Rookie Hendon Hooker, still recovering from a torn ACL, likely will spend the season on the reserve/PUP list.)
“I don’t think that’s a factor into what we’re going to do with the roster,” coach Dan Campbell said, via Birkett. “I think for us it’s, is it worth keeping three quarterbacks, No. 1? No. 2, where are we at with the rest of the roster? You want to do that, but yet who are we losing to do that, or vice versa?”
Last year, only 12 teams had three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. This year, the ability to dress the third quarterback on game days as an extra uniformed player could be the thing that tips the scales in favor of carrying three.
Still, for most teams, losing QB1 and QB2 means that the cause is SOL even if there’s a third quarterback waiting in the wings to try to save the day. For most teams, the third-string quarterback is on the third string for a reason.
Not all (like the 49ers), but most.