With good luck, Jared Goff will be the starter throughout 2024. But do you feel confident in Hendon Hooker as his backup?
In a perfect season, the fate of a backup quarterback matters little. A healthy starter means taking each and every snap that matters, with his backup only finding the field for meaningless blowout snaps or a Week 18 rest.
The NFL, however, is not perfect. Heartbreaking injuries pop up every season and starting quarterbacks are not immune. The difference between losing out, treading water, and rising above comes down to the replacement. With Hendon Hooker as the lone backup quarterback on the Detroit Lions roster, how would he fare if called upon? Do they have someone that could keep their season afloat?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Do you feel confident in Hendon Hooker as QB2?
My answer: Yes.
Backup quarterbacks tend to fall into one of three categories: a prospect with limited experience, a veteran capable of taking over in a pinch, or game manager known more for their work in game preparation than actual on-field performance. Hooker falls firmly in the first group, and that brings some level of excitement (and nervousness).
Should Goff get hurt at some point this season, it would mean handing the reins over to an inexperienced, essentially rookie quarterback. That is never a good situation for any football team, but Hooker appears to present an upside that the backups of the recent past have severely lacked. Matt Cassel, David Blough, Chase Daniel, Tim Boyle, and Nate Sudfeld were each limited as passers, and when they had to enter the lineup, it was mediocrity at best amid a neutered passing attack. Teddy Bridgewater was perhaps the best backup Detroit has fielded in years, but he also played a mere three snaps in 2023, two of which were kneel-downs.
With Hooker, the Lions have a modern quarterback that can win with his arm or mobility, and though his experience is limited to his meager preseason snaps, he demonstrated an ability to effectively lead the offense. The Lions have a well-established offensive scheme with plenty of weapons to take the burden of playmaking off the shoulders of Hooker. This is not to discount the role of Goff in the offense, for it is tailormade for his game, but it is an offense that someone with Hooker’s talent could feasibly find their footing. It would unquestionably result in schematic changes, perhaps to utilize Hooker’s running ability more than Goff’s, but I doubt it would require a complete overhaul.
Another aspect of having Hooker on the roster is that the scout offense becomes more versatile. Teams will often employ their backup offense to mirror their upcoming opponents. With Hooker’s mobility, it allows the scout team to better replicate quarterbacks like Kyler Murray (Week 3), Anthony Richardson (Week 11), or Josh Allen (Week 15).
Goff getting injured in 2024 would greatly hurt the Lions’ Super Bowl aspirations, but with Hooker as his backup, I feel like those aspirations would be wounded, not dead outright.
Do you have faith in Hendon Hooker as the backup quarterback should an injury arise? Let us know in the comments below.
