As we continue our way through the month of June, NFL news can be hard to come by. That’s why we have called on our readers to share their questions with us so we can address the topics Detroit Lions fans want to know.
Over the weekend, I sorted through the litany of supplied questions and kicked off my installments in the mailbag series by focusing on a single question: who will be the Lions’ biggest villain this season, Jahmyr Gibbs or Jameson Williams? This version of the mailbag includes a few more questions, so let’s get started.
Let’s take a look at all three of Michael’s questions separately and a bit out of order.
In his post-OTA/minicamp analysis of the Lions depth chart, Jeremy Reisman stated, “If the season started tomorrow, I believe Nate Sudfeld would be the backup to Jared Goff,” but also stated, “The long-term plan is undeniably for (Hooker) to be the backup, but he still has a long way to go, and I won’t be going into training camp assuming the job is his.” I was unable to attend OTA/minicamp this spring, so I cannot comment directly to my views of Hooker’s development; nevertheless, I agree with Jeremy that Hooker is the clear plan—though I am more likely to presume the QB2 job will be his when training camp opens.
Now, if Hooker’s growth stalls throughout camp, Sudfeld could easily pass him on the depth chart, but I believe the Lions will begin sessions with Hooker in the QB2 role and let him sink or swim. Hooker’s technique is being fine-tuned by the coaching staff this offseason, which has undoubtedly contributed to some of his inconsistency, but coach Dan Campbell has stated that the team is pleased with Hooker’s growth in his reads—his second major obstacle—and that he is on track to meet expectations.
