5 options for the Detroit Lions to add to their quarterback depth
General manager Brad Holmes said another addition will be made, so who are some viable options for the Detroit Lions to add to their quarterback depth?
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes declared at the outset of the offseason that there would be priority placed on the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Jared Goff. A notable addition did not happen until the draft, with third-round pick Hendon Hooker. Adrian Martinez was another notable addition to the quarterback room, as an undrafted rookie.
Hooker’s recovery from a torn ACL naturally keeps Nate Sudfeld as Goff’s primary backup for awhile, at least until late in the 2023 season if not for its entirety. Holmes has made it clear what the expectations are for Hooker during his rookie season, and they are not that he’s going to play a lot–or even at all.
Holmes was on WJR 760 with Mitch Albom this past Tuesday. He touched on a wide range of topics, but here’s what he said about the quarterback depth chart.
"We still have Nate Sudfeld behind Jared. We like what Nate did last year,” “Obviously, he didn’t get any meaningful game snaps, but we’ve seen enough of him throughout the regular season in practice, in the meeting room, that we felt comfortable bringing him back. I’ve always said from Day 1 that I wanted to add a lot more competition and a lot more resources in that room. I felt like we were able to do that, not only bringing back Nate, but getting Hendon. We’ll also have another quarterback in, because you still (have) two healthy quarterbacks, so you still need a third healthy quarterback.”"
Holmes said another quarterback will be added. Obviously the list of available options is not long or especially exciting at this point. And the role any addition would have for the Lions could range from not making it to training camp, to being a proverbial “camp arm” before Week 1 to surpassing Sudfeld for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart.
Truly, all the way up to someone who could overtake Sudfeld, nothing should be off the table for the Lions. But who are some viable options they could add to the quarterback room?