Brad Holmes: For Hendon Hooker's Shot at Starter Role, Win the Back-Up QB Job
Palm Beach, Florida – The position of backup quarterback is wide open.
If the Detroit Lions Didn't emphasize that sufficiently through their actions over the last three months, by bringing in two veteran players to back up Jared Goff, General Manager Brad Holmes eliminated all uncertainty on Monday.
Speaking at the NFL's annual spring meeting, Holmes insisted he has not lost confidence in Hendon Hooker as Goff's primary backup but acknowledged he wants to see more from Hooker at quarterback.
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Hendons still has my confidence, but remember, no one will get hired just because of their position," Holmes stated. "If Hendon aspires to be the second-string quarterback, he needs to earn that spot through competition.
Hooker has seen limited action since the Lions selected him in the third round of the 2023 draft.
During his rookie year, he mainly focused on recovery from a knee injury sustained during his time at college. Last preseason saw him sharing backup duties with Nate Sudfeld, but his performance varied significantly. When the regular season started, he only got into three games where he mostly entered as cleanup late in matchups, successfully completing six out of nine pass attempts for a total of 62 yards.
The Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater in December serve as Goff's main substitute for the playoff runs added journeyman Kyle Allen with a contract signed during the free agency period this spring for one year.
In 2023, Bridgewater was both the backup for Goff and a mentor to Hooker, but he decided to retire following the season to become a high school football coach at his alma mater. During his time with the Lions as their second-string quarterback, he took part in just three plays on offense. a postseason defeat against the Washington Commanders When Goff departed temporarily due to an injury, and he is anticipated to resume his coaching duties this autumn.
Allen, who is 29 years old, has competed in seven NFL seasons across five different teams and was with them last year. Pittsburgh Steelers He had a record of 5 wins and 7 losses when he started games for the Carolina Panthers In 2019 and has begun six games throughout the last five seasons for Washington (in 2020) and the Houston Texans In 2022, he played in a single game and successfully completed his lone pass for 19 yards.
The Lions also welcome back Jake Fromm, who was primarily with the practice squad for most of last season.
Even though Goff continues as the indisputable starter for the Lions, Hooker, Allen, and Fromm are expected to receive ample opportunities during the team’s official offseason workouts this spring and when training camp kicks off this summer.
Holmes mentioned that the Lions brought in Allen as "competition" for Hooker.
"That’s everything,” he stated. “I mean, let’s consider this: We really enjoy having Hendon here; we're enthusiastic about him joining us. From day one with Hendon—whether you think back to when he started after high school or even later at Virginia Tech and Tennessee—it didn’t instantly become clear that he would be our go-to player right away. He faced an injury early on which set things back initially. But last year marked the first time where he managed to complete a whole training camp cycle as well as play through the entire regular season without interruptions. Additionally, we signed Teddy Bridgewater because we were preparing for playoff contention but realized he still needed more preparation before being fully game-ready, so they both got what they required.”
Briefly
The Lions received international marketing rights in Brazil for a duration of five years, beginning with the 2025 season. The team was previously granted marketing rights in this region. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and portions of Canada The Lions are among four franchises holding marketing rights in Brazil, alongside the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots. This autumn, the NFL will stage its second-ever match in Brazil, with the Los Angeles Chargers serving as the home team for this event.
Dave Birkett is the writer of the book titled, " Detroit Lions "An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy now. here . Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky , X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
The article was initially published in the Detroit Free Press. Brad Holmes: If Lions' Hendon Hooker wishes to maintain his position, then he needs to secure the backup quarterback role.
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