Sportsnaut
It surely didn’t happen overnight, but general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have managed to turn the Detroit Lions into one of the NFL’s best teams. That proved itself last season when the Lions won a franchise-record 15 games. But it didn’t matter once the postseason kicked off, with the Lions being eliminated in the Divisional Round.
Of course, the Lions have also made some mistakes while turning what once was a 3-13-1 team into one that’s reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. In other words, they can’t all be winners.
Coach Campbell seemed to publicly admit that fact earlier this week when speaking with the media about backup quarterback Hendon Hooker. Selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Hooker was at the center of coach Campbell’s criticism following his preseason performance, where the 27-year-old completed just 22-of-40 passes for 187 yards.
To that, Campbell asked whether Hooker needed “a change of scenery.” While that’s clearly not a ringing endorsement from the head coach just ahead of when the Lions need to trim the roster from 90 to 53 players, it’s possible Hooker’s days in Detroit are done.
Shortly after Campbell’s comments were made, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio poured fuel on the fire, writing, “it’s clear that the Lions (are) moving on from Hooker.” Which, based on Campbell’s comments, is not jumping to an early conclusion.
The question now is whether the Lions will cut the 68th overall pick from just two years ago, or if they’ll be able to recuperate some late-round draft compensation by trading him away. For now, the Lions have Kyle Allen installed as their backup.
The 29-year-old has started 19 games in his seven-year career, where he’s compiled a stat line of 26 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. We’ll see whether the Lions bring in another arm in the next few days, but for now, Allen is set to be Jared Goff‘s primary backup.
Related: Detroit Lions Suggest Hendon Hooker Needs ‘Change of Scenery’, 4 Potential Landing Spots
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