The Detroit Lions are just over 24 hours away from kicking off their 2025 season. The teams' first preseason action will come in primetime against the Los Angeles Chargers with the two teams clashing for this year's Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
Since it's preseason, and the Lions are getting started a week earlier than almost every other team in the league, we won't be getting any action from starters tomorrow night. We also won't be getting a look at either of the Lions' top rookies, Tate Ratledge and Tyleik Williams.
But, we will be getting treated to the real depth featured on the Lions' roster, especially at quarterback as the fight for the role of QB2 carries into training camp and into the regular season. Hendon Hooker, who was drafted by Detroit in 2023, is now in a bit of a competition with newly signed quarterback Kyle Allen.
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Hooker is laser focused in training camp in the second and third team reps he's received and will be featured throughout the Lions' preseason action prior to their Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. And, according to a recent interview detailed in LionsonSI by writer Emmett Matasovsky, Hooker has been given some pretty pointed advice from head coach Dan Campbell on how to handle the next few weeks of games.
Hooker has a simple gameplan handed to him by Dan Campbell
“Make the right decisions,” Campbell said about what he expects from Hooker and Allen. “Don’t try to do anything flashy, don’t try to make plays, you just do what you’re asked to do and wherever the defense dictates that the ball should go, that’s where it should go and then let those guys make a play. If it’s supposed to go down to the back, put it to the back, he’s got to make a play and we’ll see what happens.
Lions team reporter Tim Twentyman had reported a few weeks ago that the competition between Hooker and Allen was actually one to watch during training camp and preseason - maybe because there really aren't many other positional battles to watch for in Detroit. Still, the third year signal caller has something to prove after a year playing behind Teddy Bridgewater.
Hooker will be handed a second and third string offense that features some other rookies to watch, such as wide receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett. Ahmed Hassanein, one of the Lions' developmental picks that has been getting some positive reviews from camp thus far, will be a rookie to watch on defense tomorrow evening.
