The Lions drafted quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round in 2023, but through two NFL seasons Hooker has played only in garbage time, and late last season the Lions brought in veteran Teddy Bridgewater and put him ahead of Hooker on the depth chart to back up Jared Goff.
As the Lions open training camp this year, Bridgewater is no longer on the team and Hooker is competing with Kyle Allen to be the Lions’ No. 2 quarterback. Lions head coach Dan Campbell says it’s time for Hooker to take the next step in his career.
“Hooker knows the deal,” Campbell said. “You’re out here to compete and we gave him some things to do while he was home, working on the urgency, the footwork, continue training, and it’s only one day but I liked what I saw out there yesterday. There was an urgency, I thought his footwork was on, I thought he was spitting the plays out, but again it’s day one. He knows what it is. He knows it’s time to take the next step, and it’s his move. I think he’s wired right, and it means something to him. So here we go.”
Campbell said he talks to Bridgewater regularly but indicated that’s more because the two of them have become close over the years than because he’s actively in talks to bring Bridgewater back to Detroit. For now, Hooker is the backup to Goff, and the Lions want Hooker to have the kind of training camp that makes them confident they can win if Goff goes down.
