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The backup quarterback situation in Detroit has been a sore point since well before Dan Campbell took over as head coach in 2021. To that point, the QB room has been revamped behind unquestioned starter Jared Goff entering 2023. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a big fan of the group, which includes Nate Sudfeld, Hendon Hooker and Adrian Martinez as the team enters mandatory minicamp this week.
Johnson was asked about his thoughts on the backup QBs during his media session prior to Thursday’s practice.
“Yeah, no, I love the room right now,” Johnson said immediately. “There is a great camaraderie in there and I think that is really important when you need to find that backup quarterback position.”
In referencing Sudfeld and the reserves behind Goff, Johnson basically declared what he wants in a No. 2 quarterback.
“It’s not only a guy that can go in there and win games, but for the majority of the season, if all things go right, he is there to support that starter,” Johnson said. He then added,
“And we have that right now, not only with Nate (Sudfeld) and Hendon (Hooker) and Adrian (Martinez), we have a good group. And they are learning, they are growing.”
Sudfeld didn’t join the team until September last year after the Lions summarily dispatched backups Tim Boyle and David Blough in the final cutdowns. In our first real look at Sudfled throwing in last week’s OTA session, it wasn’t all too impressive.
Martinez is an undrafted rookie from Kansas State who struggled with accuracy and decision-making in college. His live arm and running ability have already been on display in the early offseason. Hooker is still not cleared to throw after December ACL surgery, but the third-round rookie from Tennessee is very highly regarded inside the building.
It’s too early to judge if the team has truly upgraded the ability to win a game if Goff gets hurt. That’s what the upcoming minicamp, training camp and preseason are for. Hooker will be the No. 2 once he’s healthy, but that timeframe is up in the air. On the concept of supporting the starter, everything looks just fine so far.
Goff and Sudfeld clearly have a good relationship. Sudfeld is an experienced backup in a variety of situations and knows his role. In the two open OTA practices, we did see Goff interacting with Martinez and Hooker quite a bit, which is a good sign.
Johnson also left the door open a crack for potentially adding another option, though it also sounded very clear that he doesn’t believe the Lions will need to open that door.
“And once again, we are evaluating consistently we are putting pressure on them consistently to see what they can do out on the field in team settings. The truth really comes out, I believe, when you have the bullets flying for real, which we can’t have right now. So, the training camp will really tell us where we are at behind Jared, but so far, I feel really good about that room.”