The Detroit Lions have reportedly made a decision for who their backup quarterback will be and it is none other than second-year signal-caller and former third-round pick, Hendon Hooker.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Lions are waiving veteran quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was Hooker's only competition.
This is at least somewhat surprising. Granted, Hooker outplayed Sudfeld in the two preseason games in which both played, but Sudfeld didn't see a single snap in the preseason finale, which made us believe he was at least safe.
Not to mention, going into that game, head coach Dan Campbell revealed that the veteran had the "upper hand" in the competition with Hooker. He also stated there was a good chance the team keeps three quarterbacks.
Source: The #Lions are releasing QB Nate Sudfeld, who has spent plenty of time as No. 2 QB. Now, it appears it’s Hendon Hooker who has won the job.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 27, 2024
Sudfeld has impressed plenty in practice (without a ton of game reps) and will find his way into a practice squad, at the least.
"You have to have conviction that whoever that (No. 2) guy is, is going to be able to keep this ship afloat and what we know about Hooker is, Hooker is a young, developing quarterback and he needs reps and he needs time," Campbell said. "I do know that. And Nate right now has the upper hand because he’s played more. He’s been in it more, he’s seen it more, he just — and so with that, that would tell you there’s a good chance you could keep three. Am I going to say that 100 percent certain right now? No. But that’s kind of what you look at."
While he's still a bit raw and has some work to do, there is absolutely no question that Hooker provides more upside than Sudfeld. Whether or not that means he can keep the ship afloat if Jared Goff gets hurt remains to be seen.
Even though he's being cut, there's a good chance Sudfeld ends up back on the practice squad. For now, it appears Hooker is the QB2 in Detroit.
