Becoming the team that took a chance on Hendon Hooker in the 2023 draft, the Lions are still not sold on the former college standout as their entrenched backup quarterback. This view became clear when they brought Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement last year, and a subsequent free agency decision affects Hooker’s standing as well.
The Lions signed Kyle Allen after his Steelers season. While Allen is not a clear-cut backup option for Jared Goff, the Lions will give the 2024 third-stringer a chance to usurp Hooker this offseason.
“Hooker, no different than Allen, are competing,” Dan Campbell said, via DetroitLions.com. “The best way to help guys really reach their full potential is competition. You can say things the best you can to prop them up, but at some point, you just have to go compete and it’s him or you. I anticipate Hooker’s going to compete. That’s what he does.”
Hooker had spent much of last season as Goff’s backup, seeing his first game action during blowouts. The ex-Tennessee and Virginia Tech starter has attempted nine career passes. Late in training camp last year, Campbell said Nate Sudfeld held a lead on Hooker for the backup job. But the Lions still kept Hooker on their active roster and cut Sudfeld before setting their 53-man roster. Allen brings another threat to Hooker’s QB2 status.
Entering the NFL after a November 2022 ACL tear dinged his draft stock, Hooker was the fifth quarterback chosen that year. Rumblings about first- and second-round landing spots circulated before that draft, but the once-surging Volunteers QB tumbled into Round 3. Two years remain on Hooker’s rookie contract, and despite going into only his third season, the former intriguing prospect is 27. This represents an important offseason for a player who had been viewed as something of a project coming into the league.
Allen joined the Lions on a one-year, $1.27MM deal; only $100K is guaranteed, giving the Lions freedom to cut the nomadic reserve while incurring barely any dead money. A former UDFA going into his age-29 season, Allen has made 19 career starts. Many came with the Panthers in 2019, though he also made four starts for a playoff-bound 2020 Washington outfit. Allen is a career 62.7% passer who has averaged a pedestrian 6.7 yards per attempt. He has stopped through Carolina, Washington, Houston, Buffalo and Pittsburgh during his career.
While Lions GM Brad Holmes expressed confidence in Hooker, the Lions’ moves since he came off the NFI list have not reflected it. Barring another Bridgewater unretirement, however, Hooker has another clear shot to win the backup job behind one of the NFL’s most durable players. Jake Fromm is also on the Lions’ roster, but he appears to be the least likely of the team’s non-Goff QB trio to make the team. That said, Fromm spent all of last season on Detroit’s practice squad; he would give the team some insurance if the Hooker-Allen competition produces a player not worthy of a spot on the active roster or the P-squad.
This has not been a great pick for Holmes. Both of the 2023 3rd round picks are starting to feel like busts.
Ok, so missing on 3rd round draft picks means what exactly moving forward?
means that you missed on cheap depth options and will have to turn to free agency to get the quality you are looking for. Unfortunately that has already passed, now you are looking at the draft and the 2nd/3rd waves of free agency. and DET had to commit a lot of cap to their stars Sewell, St. Brown, Goff, and will have a Hutchison extension coming up.
If DET wants to become a dynasty, the way you do that is by nailing your mid-round picks with strong and affordable role players, depth, and rotational guys, that save your cap space for your top 5-7 players.
Martin and Hooker may be “misses,” but 2021 3rd round pick Alim McNeil and 2022 3rd round pick Kerby Joseph sure look like home runs to me.
If half or a third of Holmes’ 3rd round picks end up being franchise cornerstones that are amongst the best at their positions in the league, the future is bright.
Let’s also not forget that Hooker was drafted to be a cheap backup with some upside. He is still that.
Hooker was older and already injured. He needs to win this backup job maybe show something for a team to trade for him if not.