With second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker expected to take over No. 2 duties with the Detroit Lions this season, the team brought in something of an insurance policy.
The Lions announced on March 27 that they re-signed veteran quarterback Nate Sudfeld for his third season in Detroit. Hooker joined the team prior to the start of the 2022 season and appeared in two games that season, but suffered a torn ACL during training camp last year and missed the entire 2023 season.
With last year’s backup Teddy Bridgewater retiring, Sudfeld helps bring a veteran presence on the depth chart behind starter Jared Goff.
Nate Sudfeld’s Return to Detroit
Sudfeld came into the league in 2016 as a sixth-round pick of the Washington Commanders, though he did not see any action that year. He spent the next four seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, appearing in four games and completing 25 of 37 passes for 188 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
He joined the Lions in August 2022, earning some praise from Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell for his attention to detail.
“I talked about the preparation and being ready to go if called upon, the time he put in,” Brunell said, via the Detroit News. “He was great leading up to our games as far as working with Jared and watching the tape together. Then on game day, he was excellent. And it’s very important for a starter to have a resource on the sidelines, in the meeting room, a backup guy that really just wants to help Jared be the best he can be.”
Jeff Risdon of USA Today’s Lions Wire suggested that Sudfeld’s signing could show that the Lions have their quarterback depth chart set for the coming season.
“Signing Sudfeld now could be a strong indication that the Lions are satisfied with the quarterback room as-is before the 2024 NFL draft,” Risdon wrote.
Hendon Hooker’s New Role
The Lions have also held Hooker in high regard, even though he saw no action during his rookie season as he spent the majority of the season rehabbing a torn ACL that cut short his final season at Tennessee.
Speaking at the NFL Combine last month, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said it was difficult to offer a full evaluation of Hooker given his lack of playing time but did praise the work he put in.
“Man, I would say it’s hard because he was coming off the injury, didn’t get to play,” Campbell said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “But he got a ton of — by the end of the year, call it three months of practice time, and he did a lot of the scout team, learned a lot from Teddy Bridgewater and Jared Goff, seven-on-sevens, a few team reps good-on-good.”
But Campbell added that Hooker showed some tangible signs of development during the season.
“The best I can tell you is there’s growth. We saw growth,” Campbell said. “And that’s encouraging. That’s all we can ask at this point. I don’t think we entirely know what he is yet. There’s not enough evidence. But I know this: We saw progress. And that’s what we’re looking for.”
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