The Detroit Lions initially drafted Hendon Hooker with the idea that he could someday replace Jared Goff, but instead the third-year quarterback finds himself in a fight for a backup job this summer.
The Lions have spoken highly of Hooker and the growth he’s shown through his first two years, but held back on giving him the No. 2 job. Hooker must now compete with veteran Kyle Allen this summer for the chance to back up Goff, with no clear frontrunner for the job.
Hendon Hooker’s Uneven Tenure in Detroit
Hooker spent the majority of his rookie season rehabbing a torn ACL that cut short his final college season at Tennessee. He then moved into the backup job last season, but fell down the depth chart when the team brought Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement late in the season.
When Goff went down briefly in the team’s playoff loss to the Washington Commanders, it was Bridgewater who came in over Hooker. The Lions made it clear that Hooker will need to earn the backup job against this year, with general manager Brad Holmes saying he still needs to prove himself.
“I mean, look, we like Hendon,” Holmes said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “He had the injury that first year, then last year that was the first year that he kind of was able to do a full year of training camp and during the season. And then we brought Teddy Bridgewater in just because we were gearing up for the playoffs and postseason and he just wasn’t ready yet, you know? And he understood that.”
Mark Brunell, Detroit’s quarterbacks coach, added that the team has a lot of faith in Allen. He has some previous experience as a starter with the Carolina Panthers, starting 12 games in 2019. He has a total of 19 starts in his NFL career, completing 62.7% of his passes for 4,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
“What we saw in Kyle was a quarterback who has experience. He has played, he’s been on multiple teams, different systems, very smart,” Brunell said, via SI.com. “What I loved about the tape we saw (was) he made good decisions with the ball. He managed very well. You can tell he was operating within whatever offense that he was in, and just has a good grasp on how to play at this level and has for a while. In our room, being a resource for Jared. Always being ready, that’s at the top of the list if necessary, but be a good resource for Jared, another set of eyes.”
Lions Happy With Quarterback Situation
Brunell expressed faith in all three quarterbacks, saying they have worked well together with the veteran Allen doing his part to help Hooker develop.
“Once again, in year five, we have another good room. Obviously we have Jared, we’ve got Hendon and we’ve got Kyle, and they all work very well together,” Brunell said, via SI.com. “We’re finding that out this offseason, and there’s good synergy in that room. Even today, we’re watching tape, and Kyle was kind of coaching Hendon a little bit and talking a little bit. So I’m really pleased with what I see with Kyle, he’s gonna be a huge asset for us and we’re glad to have him.”
