Either Hendon Hooker made late progress, or the Lions are confident they can add a veteran backup soon. After Dan Campbell proclaimed Nate Sudfeld ahead for Detroit’s QB2 role, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes that Sudfeld is being released.
Sudfeld, who has not seen game action since the Eagles’ scrutinized Jalen Hurts benching to close out the 2020 regular season, missed all of last season due to injury but had impressed in training camp. He will pass straight to free agency.
Considering Sudfeld has not played since the 2020 season and missed all of last year, it also is conceivable he will not generate much interest. The Lions may well have the opportunity to stash the veteran on their practice squad. The team also has offseason pickup Jake Fromm as a P-squad option. But this will move Hooker up the depth chart.
It has long been expected Hooker would eventually be Jared Goff‘s backup, but Campbell’s comment earlier this month poured some cold water on the 2023 third-rounder’s progress. Detroit effectively redshirted Hooker last season, after a November 2022 ACL tear hurt his draft stock. But Teddy Bridgewater retired, en route to coaching at his high school alma mater, opening a door for Hooker, who spent most of last season on the NFI list.
The Lions could also move Sudfeld back to their active roster after other roster moves commence, but since the NFL has provided more IR flexibility this year, fewer post-cutdown-day IR moves figure to occur. As it stands, Sudfeld is off Detroit’s roster for the time being. It would stand to reason he or Fromm will be the team’s de facto QB3. Monday’s news regarding the NFLPA nixing the league’s move to give teams QB flexibility has not moved the Lions to keep three passers.
Sudfeld was one of the higher-paid backups in the league so this makes sense…They can always bring him back if need be.
If nothing else, Sudfield will always be remembered as the Eagles QB who tanked their Week 17 game vs. WFT (Redskins) in 2020 so the Giants could not win the NFC East.
I’m somewhat shocked that you’re not making the media and NY tabloids part of the conspiracy. Could Nate have been setup like Oswald? Did anyone check to see if Doug Pederson was hiding behind the grassy knoll?
Had Philly beaten the Skins in that 2020/Week 17 game, the Giants would’ve won the NFC East on a 3-way tie-breaker over Dallas and Washington. Skins took the division in the pandemic season at 7-9.
BTW, that tank job got Doug Pederson fired in Philly but he’s landed on his feet and made Jacksonville fun to watch.
There was obviously a conspiracy in place to keep the Giants out of the playoffs. If they get in then Tom Brady gets another post season spanking from the G-Men. That upsets the narrative of him winning another SB and riding off into the sunset as the GOAT.
Where’s the guy that was saying sudfeld was #2, and hooker was going to get cut.
Any hooker available in the league would be pursued by Robert Kraft so Detroit didn’t want to take that chance.
Why on earth would they cut Hooker?
@alproof I wasn’t thinking the same thing and it wasn’t made up he said to get rid of hooker, and sudfeld for Mike white