The Lions have a huge issue at QB…..if you want to make it one.

This year for preseason and training camp, the Lions are rolling with Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker as the two QBs battling it out for the the backup job.

Allen, a 7 year veteran, should be the prime candidate to be the number 2 QB. He has experience and in the past at times looked serviceable. He has the ability to make a number of throws to where only his receiver could get it, including the ability to place deep shots perfectly. His arm strength also allows him to make off balance throws when pressure is in his face. He does a good job of squaring his shoulders when rolling out to stay accurate on throws, but also isn’t afraid to tuck and run. He’s not the fastest guy on the field, but has enough to get out of trouble.

Allen’s issues are all mental. There are times when he tries to force things or doesn’t use his eyes to move a defender out of the throwing lane. He will stare down his targets and at times will hitch his step which causes a late throw. Accuracy downfield was an issue at times. While he can handle some pressure, he can be rattled and frustrated by constant pressure which will lead to inaccurate throws and turnovers.

He can be forgiven for some mistakes as he has only been on the team for a few months….OTAs and a few days of training camp isn’t enough time to master every thing and develop chemistry with his receivers. He is a vet that should be able to pick things up quickly but it’s also dependent on the other players. Running a unit with guys that are rookies or fringe players is asking a lot of any QB, let alone a QB like Allen.

Hooker, who the Lions drafted in the 3rd round in 2023 is already 27 years old and only had 2 years (if you want to even call it that) experience, when in reality he has 9 passes as his experience. He does have some preseason reps but that’s against other fringe players and his time has been limited with that as well. Remember, he was drafted coming off a torn ACL which eliminated his rookie year development. That means, last year was his rookie year and coming from a program where he almost never took a snap from under center and wasn’t even a pro style offense, it’s obvious that he was gonna take time.

Hooker was frequently a half-field reader, which means he could lean on spacing, speed and route combinations to make his job easier. He’s more accurate outside the numbers than between the hashes and his deep ball is uneven. However, Hooker plays with excellent poise and footwork at times and keeps plays on schedule, (we haven’t seen that much during his time in the NFL yet). He’s shows signs of improvement and growth at the position, and his ability to hurt teams with his legs creates opportunities to help his offense outside of what he does in the pocket but his recovery from the ACL tear and his limited reps seem to have slowed his progression and made him very hesitant.

He struggles make window throws to stationary targets and sails too many of his throws between the hashes. For a QB that uses his legs, throwing on the move is a bigger issue than it should be. He is inconsistent on his placement of throws and his pocket presence, while patient to let routes develop, still needs major improvement. The biggest issue, takes too much contact as a runner and once again (after the Charger preseason game) reports were that he could have a concussion.

So, what do the Lions do? Why did the Lions draft Hooker? Did they think he would develop faster? If so, how can he do that without getting all the reps in preseason? If they took him knowing that it would take a few yrs, then it’s a misstep because he’s gonna be 30 when he’s ready. But, it also isn’t a huge draft plunder because they didn’t trade away multiple picks to move up like the Trey Lance deal. They took a project they knew had great upside.

Is it fair to be concerned? Maybe, but if Brad and the Lions haven’t made a move, or a bigger move at the position then we have to assume they are seeing more then we are at practice.

What are the options? If they felt someone like Carson Wentz was a viable option, wouldn’t he have been brought in already? Here’s a list of what the Lions are looking at:

• Carson Wentz
• C.J. Beathard
• Teddy Bridgewater
• Jeff Driskel
• Tyler Huntley
• Mike White
• Ben DiNucci
• Jaren Hall
• Logan Woodside
• Jake Fromm
• AJ McCarron

Does that list excite you? Are any of these QBs coming in and even pushing for a spot? Wentz, that’s it but he’s been wondering the bench for 3 seasons now. Whatever happened in Indianapolis has soiled his reputation, even after playing well with 27 TDs and only 7 INTs…there is something out there that is making teams hesitant.

The problem here is, people think that signing a different backup will solve the teams problems. None of those QBs would have played any better than Allen or Hooker with the talent that was on the field. You had a bunch of guys fighting for jobs, rookie draft picks and UDFA. Allen had TeSlaa and Lovett but still managed to throw 2 horrible interceptions so the argument could be made, would Hooker have made those throws or any of the FAs listed?

Who knows, but what is known and should be agreed upon, is Hooker should get as many reps as possible in the remaining three preseason games to show what he is capable of doing with the best available talent the Lions can afford to put out there. Because if Goff goes down, Allen and/or Hooker will look like different QBs with players like:
Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Penei Sewell, Taylor Decker, Sam LaPorta, Jamo, St. Brown, Tim Patrick, Tate Ratledge, Kalif, Mahogany in the the lineup.

Allen, who’s a vet, shouldn’t still be making the rookie mistakes he does. Hendon, is essentially a rookie still learning how to play QB at the NFL level.

Can the Lions afford to have a player still learning how to play quarterback as their primary backup going into a season where they’re competing for a Super Bowl?

No, but they did last year with the insurance of Fromm on the practice squad . And that’s most likely the same situation for 2025. I fully expect the Lions to carry Hooker on the active roster, does that mean Allen is the number 3 emergency QB or is he the 2 and Hooker is regulated to the emergency QB? It depends on whether the Lions think Hooker will go unclaimed at roster cut-downs.