Lions predicted to move on from former third-round pick in favor of 19-game starter

Lions predicted to move on from former third-round pick in favor of 19-game starter originally appeared on The Sporting News

The Lions have already played three preseason games and have one more remaining before kicking off the regular season. 

Of course, the Lions played in the Hall of Fame Game against the Chargers last month, so those two teams will have one more preseason game than everybody else. This also means the Lions have more chances to evaluate their roster than the other teams. 

One of the positions that has been exciting to watch is the backup quarterback spot. Entering the offseason, former third-rounder Hendon Hooker was seen as the favorite to land the job. 

Hooker had an extremely productive college career and was seen as an interesting NFL prospect. However, the Tennessee product suffered a torn ACL during his final collegiate season and didn't see any action in his rookie season as a result. 

Hooker has since been unable to gain any momentum in the NFL, and now he appears to have fallen behind veteran journeyman Kyle Allen for the QB2 role in 2025. In fact, Dan Campbell even recently confirmed that Allen is leading Hooker as of now. 

Erik Schlitt and Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit published an updated 53-man roster projection after the third preseason game, and Hooker didn't make the cut. 

Regarding the backup quarterback spot, Reisman offered the following: 

Dan Campbell ensured there was no question about who the current leader for the backup job is, but now the question is whether the Lions will keep Hooker around as a third. The best case I can make for it is that he’s still on a cost-controlled rookie contract, and I’m not putting further development out of the question. However, this is a championship-level ballclub right now, and roster spots are too valuable. Keeping only two quarterbacks likely means adding one after cutdowns, because Hooker is unlikely to clear waivers. A brand-new practice squad QB is far from ideal, but it’s the hand Detroit has been given.

As Reisman mentioned, Campbell has made it clear who the favorite to be the backup is, and there's no guarantee the team keeps three passers on the main roster. The Lions are ready to compete, and with one of the deepest rosters in the league, it may not be practical to keep three quarterbacks. 

However, due to Hooker's college production and relative youth, there is a high chance he would be claimed by another team. Having to find a third quarterback for the practice squad/emergencies wouldn't be ideal, but it may be the most likely scenario. 

In the Hall of Fame Game, Hooker completed just three of his six pass attempts for 18 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Hooker didn't have much more success in the second preseason game, finishing with just 38 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. 

Finally, against the Dolphins last weekend, Hooker had another bad performance. The quarterback completed six of his 13 passes for just 61 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. 

It's hard to argue that Hooker deserves the QB2 spot over Allen. Allen has been a journeyman in his career, but he has had good moments and definitely has looked better in recent times.