Lions 3rd Round QB in Hot Water After Being Benched

 
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Hendon Hooker #2 of the Detroit Lions plays against the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Detroit Lions committed to giving former third-round quarterback Hendon Hooker the start in the team’s second preseason game and the chance to compete with veteran Kyle Allen on equal footing.

But the team ended up pulling the plug early on Hooker’s appearance, shaking up the competition for the No. 2 spot on the team and injecting new uncertainty into his future with the team. Though the team made a big investment in Hooker in 2023, they have held back from giving him the backup job and could now be leaning toward the veteran Allen.

 
Lions Yank Hendon Hooker Amid Struggles
After Allen got the start in the Hall of Fame game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Hooker was tapped for Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Though the Lions said Hooker would play in the first half, he was pulled with close to four minutes left in the second quarter.

Hooker went 7-for-10 for 38 yards with two lost fumbles, then watched Allen lead the team on a touchdown drive to end the second quarter. As Mike Moraitis of The Sporting News noted, Hooker now appears to be in some hot water with final cuts approaching fast.

“Both quarterbacks struggled in the contest against the Los Angeles Chargers,” Moratis noted. “Hooker didn’t improve any on Friday night, while Allen is off to a great start with his opening-drive touchdown.”

SI.com’s Christian Booher suggested that Hooker may need a dramatic move to turn around his fortunes and surpass Allen on the depth chart.

“Allen led three scoring drives, and through two games, has led all four of the team’s scoring drives,” Booher wrote. “At this stage, he has taken a clear lead in the backup quarterback battle. The pressure is now on Hooker, who will need to bounce back and demonstrate better control of the ball and an ability to effectively move the offense.”

Some insiders have suggested the Lions could look to trade Hooker if he doesn’t earn the No. 2 spot rather than risk waiving him or trying to get him through to the practice squad.

 
Lions Show Faith in Kyle Allen
The Lions stood by Hooker during an injury-shortened rookie season, with much of his time spent rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in his final season at Tennessee. Hooker was healthy entering 2024 but failed to win the job outright, leading the Lions to bring veteran Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement to serve as Jared Goff’s No. 2 for the final stretch of the season and playoffs.

There have already been signs that Allen is ahead, with John Maakaron of SI.com noting that the Lions gave the veteran first-team duties to start training camp.

“To start training camp, the Lions had Kyle Allen working with the backups and 2023 third-round pick Hendon Hooker getting reps with the third-team offense,” Maakaron wrote.

“Traditionally, the Lions have rotated their options amongst the backup and third units over the course of camp, but Hooker being with the latter could be telling. He did have an early completion to undrafted tight end Zach Horton during his reps.”

Allen has more NFL experience than Hooker, starting 12 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2019 with a total of 19 NFL starts. The 2019 draft pick has completed 62.7% of his passes for 4,753 yards with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty