With Lions training camp on the horizon, we are bringing back our camp preview series. Quarterbacks are the first position group on the docket.
As we inch closer to the Detroit Lions ‘ 2025 training camp , we are bringing back our roster preview series to help prepare you for all the end-of-summer festivities. If you’re not familiar with this series, we guide you position-by-position through the roster, examining the starting, reserve, and specialty roles, which players are competing for which jobs, and project how the Lions will approach each situation.
In this initial installment, we turn our attention to the quarterback position, speculate on current and future roles, and discuss how many of the reserves make the 53-man roster.
Setting the table
The Lions ended the 2024 season with four quarterbacks under contract. Starter Jared Goff and reserve Hendon Hooker remain under contract in 2025, Teddy Bridgewater returned to coaching high school football in Florida, and practice squader Jake Fromm signed a futures contract in January. When the free agency period opened, the Lions signed veteran Kyle Allen to a one-year contract , and just over a month later, released Fromm from his deal .
Roster construction
During the Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell regime, the Lions have taken slightly different approaches to the quarterback position in each season. However, the underlying philosophy has remained consistent: keep two quarterbacks on the active roster and one on the practice squad during the regular season, while also maintaining the flexibility to add another quarterback to the active roster late in the season and playoffs for emergency purposes.
Let’s take a look at what they’ve done in the previous four seasons:
- 2021: The Lions kept three quarterbacks on the active roster, including Goff, David Blough, and Tim Boyle, mainly due to the NFL’s COVID restrictions.
- 2022: Goff and Nate Sudfeld were on the active roster—Boyle was on the practice squad.
- 2023: Goff and Bridgewater were on the active roster, Blough on the practice squad, Sudfeld was on injured reserve, and Hooker on the PUP list. Hooker would eventually be removed from the PUP and placed on the active roster late in the season.
- 2024: Goff and Hooker were on the active roster, with Fromm on the practice squad. Bridgewater would rejoin the active roster late in the season as the Lions’ “emergency third quarterback,” but assumed QB2 duties for the playoffs, with Hooker acting as the Lions’ EQB3.
The battleground
Entering 2025 training camp, Goff is once again the established starter, leaving only a couple of questions for this position group.
Can Hooker hold off Allen for the Lions QB2 job?
Hooker won the Lions’ QB2 job in 2024 and maintained the role throughout the regular season, but he was jumped on the game-day depth chart for the playoffs when the Lions opted to turn to Bridgewater for their backup role. While it’s easy to argue that the Lions lost faith in Hooker for the playoffs, I believe the move was made because of the team’s unrelenting confidence in Bridgewater, as opposed to a lack of confidence in Hooker. At the same time, the decision certainly opens the door for criticism of Hooker and allows for speculation on his current status on the depth chart.
With 19 NFL starts, Allen brings more experience than Hooker to the competition, but it’s important to note that the majority of his game exposure came early in his career (2018-19), and he has been relegated to a reserve role for the last five seasons. For context, Allen was QB2 on his respective roster from 2020 to 2023, but he was behind quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Taylor Heinicke (Washington), Davis Mills (Houston), and Josh Allen (Buffalo). Last season in Pittsburgh, he was QB3 behind Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, only seeing the field for a total of two snaps (Wilson was injured and Fields was being examined for a concussion).
During training camp, look for the Lions to give Hooker and Allen an opportunity to earn the QB2 role, likely rotating days where each practices with the second-team offense.
Would Hooker or Allen accept a position on the practice squad?
Seeing as the Lions routinely only keep two quarterbacks on the active roster, it’s fair to speculate whether either Hooker or Allen would accept a spot on the practice squad—seeing as both have spent the majority of their careers on the active roster.
Regarding Hooker, there’s enough upside to his game that, if released, it’s entirely possible he wouldn’t even get the opportunity to join the practice squad, as he would be exposed to waivers. It’s also possible he seeks out an opportunity that would afford him a better shot at competing for a starting role. As for Allen, he may be interested in exploring other options, as he’s historically found a role as a higher-level backup.
Will the Lions add a fourth quarterback?
In an ideal situation, the Lions would prefer to roll with just three quarterbacks during camp, allowing them to utilize the extra roster spots on different position groups. However, if the Lions aren’t confident they could get either backup to their practice squad, or if either backup suffers an injury, the Lions may consider adding a fourth quarterback to their training camp battle.
For example, when Hooker was injured during last year’s camp, the Lions added Fromm for depth purposes. Fromm’s performance in the Lions’ final preseason game earned him some extra looks, and he was eventually rewarded with a spot on the Lions’ practice squad.