Lions' Hendon Hooker 'a puppy,' already showing improvement in battle for backup QB job
No one wants to play four preseason games, but for Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, there's a silver lining to his team's extra exhibition affair.
'For the quarterback position, I mean, I love it,' Brunell said May 13. 'I love it that Hendon and Kyle will be getting more reps, more game time, and so it allows you to evaluate more. It allows those guys to have more opportunities to move the team.'
Advertisement
The Lions signed veteran Kyle Allen to compete with Hendon Hooker for the backup quarterback job behind Jared Goff in training camp, and with Goff expected to have a workload 'probably very similar to what' he has had in previous years, Brunell said, that will leave the bulk of the preseason game reps to Allen and Hooker.
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) looks to pass against Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of a preseason game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, August 24, 2024.
Goff has not taken a snap in a preseason game since 2022, with the Lions preferring he get his reps in joint workouts and practices. Lions coach Dan Campbell said he hopes to have two sets of joint practices again this summer.
The Lions open the preseason July 31 against the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game. They play a road game Aug. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons, then host the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans to close the preseason.
Advertisement
STEVE JOBS OF SCOUTING: How Brad Holmes' 5 years at HBCU set him on path to Lions GM
Hooker, a third-round pick in 2023 who missed his first training camp with the Lions while recovering from a college knee injury, saw his first NFL action last season when he completed 6 of 9 passes for 62 yards in three games.
After using Hooker as Goff's backup most of the year, the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater late in the season as veteran quarterback insurance and made him their No. 2 quarterback in the playoffs. The team added Allen as competition this offseason.
'He's a puppy and he's still young,' Brunell said of Hooker, 27. 'And does he have a lot (to grow)? Yeah. Yeah, there's some things that we got to work on, but what other — that's the same case for every other young guy that's going into his third season. There's a lot of things to work on.'
Advertisement
Allen, 29 and entering his eighth NFL season, has attempted just one pass the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills but is 7-12 in his career as a starter.
'What we saw in Kyle was a quarterback, to your point, who has experience, he has played, he's been on multiple teams, different systems, very smart,' Brunell said. 'What I loved about the tape that we saw, he made good decisions with the ball. He managed very well. You could tell he was operating within whatever offense that he was in, and just has a good grasp on how to play at this level and has for a while.'
Brunell said how Allen and Hooker fare this summer will go a long way toward determining the backup.
He said he wants his No. 2 quarterback to be fundamentally sound and to be able to move the offense and make good decisions in games and practices. He has already seen Hooker improve in some of those areas.
Advertisement
'He's throwing the ball better, his footwork is better, and he understands our concepts (better),' Brunell said. 'And so this has been really good for him. And as we go, the kid, because of his focus and his attitude and his work ethic, he's naturally just going to become a better quarterback. And when he gets out there in preseason, I imagine he's going to get a lot of reps. You'll see a better version of him than you did last year, and I'm excited about that. I'm really pleased with Hendon.'
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions QB Hendon Hooker 'a puppy,' looks improved in backup QB battle
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
The wait is over. Now does signing Aaron Rodgers make the Pittsburgh Steelers contenders in the AFC North?
The wait is over. Now does signing Aaron Rodgers make the Pittsburgh Steelers contenders in the AFC North? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Future Hall of Famer and free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers has put an end to this offseason's most grueling waiting game by confirming that he plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Advertisement NFL Network insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport report that Rodgers will sign a one-year contract that an NFL source has suggested to us might be valued in the $30 million range. He is expected fly to Pittsburgh soon and participate in the upcoming mandatory minicamp next week. The Steelers front office now sees their patience and optimism pay off as they completely built their NFL Draft plan based on the assumption that Rodgers would sign and allow them to target other needs outside of a quarterback ... although they only had Mason Rudolph on contract. Pittsburgh would ultimately draft Will Howard as well, but they now fall down the depth chart to back up the four-time MVP. Rodgers enters the AFC North with the opportunity to draw the Steelers closer to contention with the Baltimore Ravens for the division crown. Last season, the Steelers finished second with a 10-7 record - two games behind the division champion Ravens. The 41-year-old is coming off a lousy 2024 campaign with the New York Jets, but with a better supporting cast and new environment to ease his mental state (as best it can), hopefully Rodgers' play will see a bit of resurgence. Advertisement He joins forces with star receiver DK Metcalf and tight end Pat Freiermuth as solid receiving targets along with an eclectic group of pass catchers in Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson and Robert Woods to work with. Rookie running back Kaleb Johnson may start after Najee Harris left in free agency, so the pass game quickly turns into the Steelers expected identity rather than the run with an inexperienced ball carrier. Pittsburgh likely still prefers their chances this season with Rodgers much more than last year's cycle between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields under center, despite the team's moderate success. The end-of-season collapse, however, was especially disappointing. Rodgers' veteran experience could alleviate any of that worry this year. Advertisement The Steelers finished with a 3-3 record in the division during the regular season - beating and losing to each team once. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, their season came to an end against Baltimore, losing 28-14. The Ravens enter 2025 just as much of a threat as in years past and will remain the Steelers toughest competition in the division. Their Week 11 meeting, an 18-16 Pittsburgh win, was thanks to the heroics of kicker Chris Boswell who accounted for all of the scoring on six field goals. More offensive firepower with Rodgers at the helm should help eliminate low-scoring affairs like this one and many of the Steelers' losses. Having big showings against the division will be extra crucial in revamping this offense's reputation. The Cincinnati Bengals are expected to return many of their offensive weapons as well, with the trio of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins all on new contracts. Their defense, however, offered little to worry about outside of pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is angrily waiting on a deal of his own. If Cincy has any hopes of rebounding from their 9-8 season, Hendrickson is a huge part of that. Advertisement Pittsburgh put on a clinic in their first meeting with Cincinnati, but as the story of the season was, the consistency pendulum swung the opposite way the second time around. The Cleveland Browns are again expected to be the bottom dwellers in the AFC North, as they have an even more controversial quarterback situation than Pittsburgh this offseason. Last season faired decently well for the Steelers, but the addition of Rodgers and Metcalf provide a major shake-up to the offense that head coach Mike Tomlin should be more confident in this season against the AFC North. Is it enough to win the division? May be too early to tell. Advertisement But it's certainly a step in the right direction. Finally. Related: Steelers Breaking News As Aaron Rodgers 'Finally' Signs One-Year Contract Related: Steelers' Roman Wilson Breaking Out As George Pickens Replacement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
What the Pittsburgh Steelers Get With Aaron Rodgers at QB
What the Pittsburgh Steelers Get With Aaron Rodgers at QB originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Finally. It's finally happened. NFL veteran and now-journeyman quarterback Aaron Rodgers has finally agreed to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of mandatory minicamp next week, per reports. Advertisement Are Steelers fans finally exhaling after holding their collective breaths for months? Should they? Is this really a good thing for Pittsburgh? Let's look at what the Steelers are getting with a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who seemingly failed in New York with the Jets last season. Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, led the Jets to a 5-12 mark in his only full season in New York. Don't forget (Jets fans won't) that he missed all but four plays of the 2023 campaign after rupturing his Achilles on the first drive of the first game after joining the team two offseasons ago. Last season should be one to forget for Rodgers. He finished below the league average in passer rating - a stat of which he's the all-time career leader, and 31st in the league in QBR - behind names like Aidan O'Connell and Kirk Cousins. Advertisement His five wins last season are his lowest win total since 2017, when he played just seven games for Green Bay and posted a 4-3 mark. Rodgers' previous low win total was six, which he posted three times since taking over as the Packers' starting quarterback in 2008. Could it be that Steelers fans are still enamored by his name? His past? His 10 Pro Bowls? His four NFL MVPs? We're not sure. We're also not sure this is what Pittsburgh thinks it's signed up for, but it shouldn't take long to figure out what he's got left in the tank - if anything. We just hope it lasts longer than four plays. Related: Ex Steelers Linebacker Re-Signs with New Team Related: Ex Steelers QB Could See 'Last Chance As Starter' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers will play each other in Week 1 whenever the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets face off.
Justin Fields and Aaron Rodgers will play each other in Week 1 whenever the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets face off. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers has finally made a decision on where he will play in 2025, as he informed the Pittsburgh Steelers that he intends to come on over and sign with the team ahead of mandatory minicamp. Advertisement This means that in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season, he will match up against his former team in the New York Jets. And funny enough, they also have a brand new player under center in New York. ... and it's an old Pittsburgh pal. The Steelers and the Jets basically swapped quarterback situations, as Rodgers will be suiting up in the black and gold, and Justin Fields will be under center for New York. And adding to the fun? As players, they couldn't be any more different. Rodgers at 41 is fading, but he is an established name in the NFL, as he is known by many as one of the best quarterbacks in league history. He has won a Super Bowl, as well as four Most Valuable Player Awards. Advertisement Fields, 26, is to a great degree the opposite, as he will be looking to prove with the Jets that there is a reason he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has not found much success in his first few seasons in the league, and he will be hoping he can change that in 2025. So ... revenge, anyone? The two will face off in Week 1 of the regular season, and both will be looking to prove that their respective teams made the right decision signing them in free agency this offseason. Related: Jets Look Even Better After Rodgers Signing Related: Aaron Rodgers' Message About Steelers' Mike Tomlin Resurfaces After Recent News This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
