The team revealed on April 23 that quarterback Jake Fromm was released, after signing a reserve/future contract earlier in the offseason. Fromm had slipped down the depth chart and was facing long odds to even land on the practice squad this year, but now he’ll have to seek a new opportunity elsewhere.
“He arrived in Detroit during training camp last year and showed enough to stick as the third-string quarterback,” Jeff Risdon wrote. “Once a standout at Georgia, Fromm has bounced around the league since the Bills picked him in the fifth round of the 2020 draft.”
Fromm’s career has taken some unusual turns. Drafted by Buffalo in 2020, he was the only QB selected by the team since Josh Allen in 2018. That year, he served in a rare role, staying away from teammates as a COVID “quarantine” quarterback in case of outbreak among the others.
He returned to Buffalo’s practice squad in 2021 before the New York Giants signed him. Fromm started two games, completing 27-of-60 passes for 210 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
The Lions may not be done making changes to their quarterback room. Though they used a third-round pick on Hendon Hooker in 2023, he may face competition for the backup role now that Kyle Allen has joined the team.
Lions GM Brad Holmes told reporters in early April that Hooker will need to earn the role, rather than being handed the job.
“We like Hendon,” Holmes said, according to USA Today’s Lions Wire. “He was recovering from an injury during his first year, and last year was really the first time he had a full camp. We added Teddy Bridgewater late for the playoff run because Hooker wasn’t quite ready. And he got that.”
Hooker spent his rookie year recovering from an ACL tear that ended his college career at Tennessee. Since then, he’s had consistency issues and was passed up on the depth chart by Bridgewater, who came out of retirement to sign with Detroit late in the year.
Holmes reiterated that the team still believes in Hooker but won’t hand him anything.
“We still have strong belief in [Hooker], but jobs aren’t handed out,” Holmes said. “If he wants to be the backup, he has to go out and earn that number two spot.”
Some experts think the Lions could explore a trade if Hooker fails to claim the backup role.
