AUGUST 24: Hooker struggled in Detroit’s final preseason contest on Saturday, connecting on six of 11 passes for 70 yards. He also turned the ball over for the fifth time in the preseason, and Campbell did not mince words when asked whether Hooker would stick on the roster.
“How much development do you believe there is?” Campbell said (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). “We’re talking about Hooker right now, how much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes, does the player need a change of scenery?”
It seems Hooker is likely to be waived prior to Tuesday’s deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to 53 players. While he could be stashed on the practice squad if he clears waivers, Campbell’s change-of-scenery comments suggest Detroit may not take that route even if it becomes available.
AUGUST 17: The Lions brought Teddy Bridgewater out of his quasi-retirement last December, clearly feeling the need to fortify their QB room for the end of the regular season and the playoffs. While head coach Dan Campbell tried to downplay the notion that the Bridgewater addition signified a lack of faith in 2023 draftee Hendon Hooker – who had served as Jared Goff‘s backup to that point in the 2024 campaign – Hooker was not automatically returned to the QB2 post this year.
Instead, Detroit signed Kyle Allen in March, and Campbell said a competition for the backup job would commence. At the moment, Allen is decisively winning that competition and therefore appears to be in line to open the season behind Goff on the depth chart.
In the Lions’ preseason game against the Dolphins on Saturday, Allen got the start and completed 14 of 17 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including a score at the end of a well-constructed two-minute drill (h/t Dave Brikett of the Detroit Free Press).
Hooker, by contrast, completed six of 13 passes for 61 yards and an interception. As Birkett observes, the Miami game represented the third time in three preseason contests – Detroit was one of the participants in the Hall of Fame Game – that Allen has outplayed Hooker, a fact Campbell acknowledged when addressing the media afterwards.
“He’s playing better,” Campbell said of Allen (via Birkett). “So I would say that right now, if you’re saying – if you had to go in with a [QB2] right now, who would you trust more? Yeah, I would trust Kyle more because he’s proven more after these two games. But I’m still – we’re still going to coach Hooker up and we’re still going to see what’s there and see if we can get him better. I mean, we still got a little bit here.”
It is fair to wonder how much another week or so of coaching will improve Hooker’s stock with the organization. Entering the NFL after a November 2022 ACL tear dinged his prospect status, Hooker was the fifth quarterback chosen that year. Rumblings about first- and second-round landing spots circulated before that draft, but the once-surging University of Tennessee QB tumbled into Round 3.
Two years remain on Hooker’s rookie contract, and although he is entering just his third professional season, he is now 27. The fact that he seems to be losing ground to the 29-year-old Allen, who has become a nomadic backup/third-stringer since a 12-start audition in 2019, is a disappointing development.
Campbell went on to say Hooker may get the start in next week’s preseason finale against the Texans. At the very least, he will get an extended look as he fights for his place on the club.
Under Campbell, the Lions have made a habit of carrying only two passers on the 53-man roster.
Water is wet
The unusual Tennessee offense has had a difficult time translating their amateurs to professionals this decade. It is speculated that this is why Nico Iamaleava transferred.
Hyatt can’t see the field either for the Giants.
Yea, it has nothing to do with NIL. It’s Tennessee’s offense. 🙄
Players of that caliber get paid anywhere they go. Their offense has not translated to the league for the top players on the lines, receiver, or QB. It’s hard to dismiss the criticism.
It’s not speculation. His father flat out said it.
Maybe now people will stop holding onto dreams of Hooker being a starter one day just because a few writers were convinced he might be a first rounder for like a week. Seems like a good guy, but he’s almost a year older than Jordan Love and his team still doesn’t trust him to be second string.
Hey look! Another Holmes reach! Everyone made fun of the Lions for Hooker. And TeSlaa. And Manuu. And Rakestraw.
To be fair: people made fun of Gibbs, Williams, Campbell and he nailed those ones.
Dude has balls the size of church bells and doesn’t mind being wrong. Which he is a fair bit. 😂
Who made fun of him for Rakestraw? People liked that pick. People didn’t make fun of him for Hooker either. He was worth a roll of the dice in the third round even if it looks like a total miss.
Hooker was old as hell coming into the league and had shown zero ability to play the position past read options and designed quarter field reads. His accuracy was suspect. He was a day 3 or UDFA whom a few analysts liked because he had physical intangibles. But he was super old. Not a good combo.
And Rakestraw’s draft profile was as a high performer. At Missouri IIRC? His physical intangibles were not good coming into the league. Also rich for a day 2 pick.
That said, my GM, whom I like, drafted a bust of a WR, TE, and OL in 3 consecutive 3rd rounds. All GMs blow picks. That was my point. Holmes reached. And he should take the crap for being wrong. But he also has had some good picks that he needs to take a bow for.
Agreed about all those Hooker downsides now and at the time, but he showed enough upside to be worth a swing in the third. Rakestraw was a good value according to the consensus big board. The Lions didn’t reach for him. Getting injured now doesn’t mean he was a reach then.
He’s built the best roster in the league. I think people give him grace for that reason, lol. When you do that, no one cares if you miss on third round picks. Ask 49er fans about that. They have a whole thing about how Lynch misses in a certin round every year, but he’s been to two Super Bowls and severl conference games.
Yeah, Hooker’s injury really set him back, too. There’s still some time-I don’t think that it’s set that Hooker will get cut right now, either. Two years are left on his rookie deal, and he’s not earning any performance escalators, so it’s still cheap. The Lions definitely want to find a long term younger guy to have a successor to Goff I think. I don’t think that they want to push Goff out by any means, but they probably would prefer to have a young guy in the wings as well. That was the logic with Hooker-he wasn’t going to be the Day One guy, he was always going to be developmental, but you’d hope that he could have been the number two by now.
Allen might be good now, but I doubt that he’s a guy that you hold on to for several years. Hooker is going in the opposite direction right now, and is 27, but as a recent draft pick, I think he might get another chance and the book isn’t closed just yet. If his next outing is awful, though, it might be more to recover from than is possible. He’s not on the roster for the same reason that Allen is, but the Lions need to believe that there’s some future value in having him there that’s worth keeping. Like I said, that injury I think really, really hurt his development. There’s still a chance, though.
No one ever holds onto Kyle Allen for long.
TeSlaa may end up outperforming a few WRs drafted in front if him… they love him! Not looking like the reach many were claiming… Holmes doesn’t believe in safe picks…. He’s done a 180 with a terrible franchise by not playing it safe…
He could work out great. That was a very intense trade up price for where the consensus saw him, though.
He’s just a good talent evaluator and has been able to translate it to the big chair.
Last year some dude was on here going wild about how hooker was going to overtake Goff how he’s a better qb blah blah blah lol wish I remember his name.
I remember that. I also remember Rakestraw’s feistyness being lauded. I always thought the dude was not going to be a good CB at the NFL level.
Rakestraw has been nothing but injured. I don’t really understand the need to go on and on about that one lol. Your own 2024 late 2nd round pick hasn’t faired *that* much better.
Bullard? Hes been a solid starter and hopeful about his progress
He’s been way less than solid in coverage. He’s got a long way to go to be a solid slot CB and probably only fits as a starting NFL S unless you’re content with him being at least partially responsible for one explosive play by the opposition every game. I wouldn’t say the odds are in his favor that he becomes anything special.
Special? No. A player in the nfl. Unlike Rakestraw? Yes.
Which isn’t saying much for a 2nd round pick who has a good shot to be off the roster at this time next season and toil in obscurity. At least Rakestraw still has the illusion of potential given that he’s only played 8 games and was impressing before this latest injury.
I don’t understand why Packers fans are so pressed over the Lions becoming good. Running the division for 50 years wasn’t enough? lol
No. Never. The only good Lions game includes an L. Just like the Bears. And the Vikings. Welcome to the life of NFL relevancy and division rivalry. Your opposing fan bases will rejoice when you lose and suck. Forever.
Besides, Rakestraw being an injury plagued bust has nothing to do with the Lions being “good.” What it does have to do with is Lions fans pretending Holmes’ crap doesn’t stink. He drafts his share of losers too.
Neither are good, they better hope the oline can stay healthy for Goff.
They’d better hope Goff has figured out how to perform under duress is my thought… and not get hurt. Behind that OL he might. Dude can’t escape the pocket.
Why is the Lions OL an issue? Reports are that Ratledge and Mahogany have played very well in the joint practices and that Glasgow has transformed well at center. Not to mention we have 2 great tackles. We will be fine at OL and don’t forget we have the best OL coach in the league.
Reports in the preseason means nothing. Every year there are cruddy teams who blast good teams in the preseason, then they suck. Detroit has 3 new people at IOL, with no even close to quality backups, and a not mobile QB who panics under pressure. And that doesn’t even consider the coaching changes on the offensive side of the ball.
Could it work? Sure. Is it likely to? No. Is there a darn good reason to be concerned if you’re not wearing Honolulu Blue Sunglasses? Yup. Every team has holes. The Lions is most likely going to be at IOL and IDL.
That’s going to be a bigger problem, I think, than the QB issue. The Lions have great bookends, and they have overall what should be a good line, but Ragnow was a truly great player that they lost. Glasgow is a vet and has been good in the past, but his move to center be something to monitor as the year goes on. I still feel like it’s not long term after this year, and that Detroit will find a longer lasting solution-unless Glasgow just nails a position move that in his career (which certainly could happen).
I don’t think he stays there, but it’s smart not to start a rookie off at center. Once he can get up to speed, they can slide him back to guard.
Time for the Lions to try another George Plimpton experiment (perhaps one of the writers on the PFR staff) 🙂
At their core…they’re still the Lions.
Keep believing that.
Hooker is out in Detroit, plain and simple. This last preseason game is a job interview for Hooker for other teams. If he plays half way decent maybe we can get a mid round pick for him. But his time in Detroit is over unfortunately
Lions need make a trade for another QB or search the waiver wire after cuts.
Sometimes a Hooker just needs another area to operate.
They still have to add to their pass rush and hopefully their interior O-line can hold up well. If I was coach I would let Sewell line up at guard sometimes and let him maul a nose/shade tackle.
Great example of why not to guarantee contracts
Intentionally tanking Hooker’s ceiling to sneak him onto the practice squad
The Jets could look at Hooker as their QB3.