The Detroit Lions wrapped up their 2024 preseason against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hendon Hooker got the start for the first time in the preseason and played most of the game.
There was some good stuff from Hooker. He made a few nice throws and he showed that his scrambling ability is a real advantage to have. He finished the game with 93 yards on the ground. His mom is going to be calling him again after that game though because he just refuses to slide.
Despite some good flashes that we've been used to seeing, we're still seeing the bad stuff that we've been used to seeing. It's the kind of stuff that shows you exactly why the Lions see Hooker at their QB3 and not their QB2.
Hooker had a very bad first quarter that saw him get sacked five times. One of which he fumbled on. It's fair to question the Lions offensive line in this one, but the biggest problem we've seen from Hooker all summer long is that he holds onto the ball too long and either takes a sack or loses yards on a check down.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell even noted it during halftime of Saturday's game when he said "he's progressing a little too slow and some of the protection breaks down"
We also got to see him overcorrecting a little bit when he hurried a throw to Isaiah Williams and it got picked off by Cameron Sutton.
This isn't saying that Hooker is bad. Don't take it that way. What we're saying is the same thing the Lions have been saying all summer. He's still green in the NFL and he needs more time and more reps before they just give him the job as the team's main backup.
You really have to consider the level of competition he's playing against right now too. These aren't starting defenses. The closest he's come to playing a starting defense was early in this game and you saw what happened. Give it time. By 2025 or maybe even halfway through this season, the Lions will start to feel the confidence in him that you do. Until then, everything points to the Lions carrying three quarterbacks and Nate Sudfeld initially getting the QB2 spot.
