Lions general manager Brad Holmes declared at the beginning of the 2023 offseason that the No. 2 quarterback position behind Jared Goff will receive some attention.

“At the beginning of this past year, we did, in fact, struggle until the very last minute to decide on our second course of action.”We need to resolve that because I’ve internally said that we won’t be starting the year in that situation. We’ll work it out because I think Nate Sudfeld did a great job working with us. However, I’m going to emphasize and make sure that we have been in that situation before, since we’re now in a position to address the quarterback room beyond Jared. However, this year we’re going to focus on that.”

The “emphasis” paid off last season when Teddy Bridgewater was persuaded to come out of retirement and re-sign Nate Sudfeld, who had been Goff’s backup.

Hendon Hooker, a second-year player, has been projected to be the Lions’ backup quarterback this offseason. While Hooker and Sudfeld have alternated in taking snaps with the second-team offense, head coach Dan Campbell has already declared early in camp that there is a real rivalry for the No. 2 slot on the depth chart. Sudfeld is still around.

QB issues may already exist for the Lions.
The Lions’ final practice before wearing pads on Monday was on Saturday. Let Mike Payton of AtoZ Sports’ day-by-day summary serve as the standard for how Hooker and Sudfeld performed.

“Hooker could be having some issues with that QB2 position. He had an extremely difficult day on Saturday. On several snaps, he hung onto the ball for far too long, which cost him every time.
Almost all of the other balls were short or flung over, and Hooker had many balls touch the ground during the day. DBs intercepted several throws that he attempted.”

Payton did mention a beautiful throw he saw from Hooker before highlighting Saturday’s effort by Sudfeld.

“Nate Sudfeld had a difficult preseason and camp the previous year. He lacked sharpness in every way. He gave off the impression on Saturday of a player who, in a pinch, could lead an offense in the regular season. He hit on almost every pass because of his extreme sharpness. Although we still have to wait and see how he performs in the preseason, on Saturday we witnessed a player who appeared to be able to handle pressure much better and was making quick throws.”

In 2016, Washington selected Sudfeld in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He has attempted 37 passes during the regular season in his career; none since 2020 and 14 since 2017. That’s not much of a sample of work, even accounting for the fact that he tore his ACL late in the preseason. His greatest asset as a quarterback with knowledge of several offensive schemes is his intangible value. The Lions are in serious peril if he is forced to play any snaps at all.

During training and preseason games, Hooker will be allowed some latitude to grow and experience ups and downs. That’s a different story, though, if he is unable to defeat Sudfeld.

Though it’s early, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Hooker and Sudfeld seem to be neck and neck for the role of Goff’s primary backup. But if Hooker can’t start to set himself apart, the Lions will have a problem, and it’s safe to say things aren’t going well so far.