Lions Facing Difficult Decision as Quarterback Battle Winds Down
After Saturday’s loss to the Miami Dolphins, Campbell said the backup job is now Allen’s to lose.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s playing better, he’s playing better,” Campbell said. “So I would say that right now, if you’re saying — if you had to go in with the (No.) 2 right now, ‘Who would you trust more?’ Yeah, I would trust Kyle more because he’s proven more after these two games.”
Allen came to the team with a stronger resume, having started 19 total games including 12 for the Carolina Panthers in 2019.
Campbell said the team isn’t giving up on Hooker just yet, saying they are still working to help him improve.
“We’re still going to coach Hooker up,” Campbell said. “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.”
But Hooker’s future in Detroit is murky. He missed the majority of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL, then struggled last year as he was unable to maintain the backup job. The Lions brought veteran Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement late in the season to serve as the No. 2, and chose to insert Bridgewater when Goff was briefly injured in the divisional-round playoff game.
Lions Could Trade Hendon Hooker
It’s not clear if the Lions intend to keep three quarterbacks on the roster, but some insiders believe Hooker could hit the trade block as the team tries to recoup some value from him. Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports suggested the Lions could offer Hooker up to the New Orleans Saints, who are in need of some help at quarterback.
“Tyler Shough could be their guy of the future, but we know that Spencer Rattler and Jake Haner are definitely not,” Payton wrote. “Both have struggled in the regular season time they’ve had. For that reason, the Saints might be on the lookout for another guy who can come in and have a shot to get the backup spot or even hold down a practice squad role. Hooker would benefit from having more of a chance in New Orleans than he would in Detroit.”
The Lions could also choose to keep three quarterbacks on the roster as an insurance policy, though they have most recently kept only two.
