Jake Rudock is now one injury away from being a starting QB in the NFL
A Michigan quarterback was drafted in the sixth round by a team with a former No. 1 overall pick as its starter. After his rookie year, the former Michigan quarterback was the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart.
He then went on to win five Super Bowls and become arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time.
That, of course, was Tom Brady’s path. But ironically enough, the first part of that NFL journey was also Jake Rudock’s.
Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky announced on Thursday that Rudock would be replacing him as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart:
"Lions let me know they're going in a different direction w/ Jake Rudock as back-up to Matthew." FA QB @danorlovsky7 on @SiriusXMNFL.
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) February 16, 2017
Rudock will now serve as the primary backup for Matthew Stafford, who is coming off one of his best seasons to date.
In his first year with the Lions, Rudock didn’t see any live action during the regular season. The former Iowa transfer started the season on the practice squad and was inactive for every game, but he still impressed.
At Michigan, Rudock became just the second quarterback in program history to eclipse 3,000 passing yards in a single season and he was No. 1 in completion percentage (64 percent).
Rudock will now have a chance to make a significant impact in his second season in the league. Stafford hasn’t missed a game since 2010, but Rudock is closer than many thought he’d ever be to starting in the NFL.