DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions find themselves in a tough situating heading into the final stretch of training camp and the preseason.
They have a clear-cut front-runner for their backup quarterback job. However, it’s not the player they spent a third-round pick on in 2023, but rather the veteran journeyman they added in free agency.
MLive’s Dungeon of Doom podcast is back to break it all down after Detroit’s 24-17 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday from Ford Field.
Kyle Allen again looked like the obvious QB2 choice, completing 14 of 17 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Through the last two preseason games, Allen is 21-of-25 passing for 244 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Hendon Hooker lost two fumbles last week in Atlanta and didn’t even get to finish the first half. Hooker had some tough breaks against the Dolphins on Saturday, but still had an uninspiring performance. Through three preseason games, Hooker is 16-of-29 passing for 117 yards with two interceptions and two fumbles lost.
Hooker enjoyed some bright spots on the final two-minute drill, but lost a tough-luck interception on an impressive play by Miami’s Ethan Robinson. The quarterback had a touchdown scramble called back due to holding, too, so while he was bad, his help wasn’t great.
Lions coach Dan Campbell even said if he were forced to put in a backup quarterback, right now it would be Allen because he’s playing better.
Co-host Kory Woods captured the dilemma, saying: “Kyle Allen hasn’t done anything to deserve to get cut.” Yet simultaneously, I don’t think you can just let a third-rounder just go, can you just let him go for nothing?"
With Hooker’s preseason struggles, co-host Ben Raven assessed his hypothetical trade market at “like a conditional seventh rounder ... at the very best-case scenario”
The Lions are in a tough spot this week, with several bubble players doing their best to make a final roster push. But if they have to carry three quarterbacks due to Hooker’s struggles, then that window gets even tighter for those bubble players.
**Want to hear more about this unexpected QB2 battle and its roster implications? Listen to the full Dungeon of Doom podcast episode:**
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