The Detroit Lions made a bold move four years ago, trading longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and a package of draft picks.

Goff arrived as a proven signal-caller with a Super Bowl appearance, but it wasn’t until his time in Detroit that he fully realized his potential and firmly established himself as a starting quarterback.

Although the Lions have Goff locked in as their starter, the team is setting the stage for a battle behind him this offseason. Detroit selected Hendon Hooker in the third round in 2023, but he has yet to secure the backup spot and now faces real competition from veteran Kyle Allen.

Colton Pouncy of The Athletic analyzed Detroit’s roster post-draft and offered a projected depth chart. However, he couldn’t determine whether Hooker or Allen would serve as Goff’s primary backup, pointing to an open competition in training camp.

“No, the Lions didn’t take Shedeur Sanders,” Pouncy noted. “But they did add a quarterback this offseason. Expect Hooker and Allen to compete for the QB2 job. The Lions wanted to raise the stakes and brought in Allen, who brings 19 career starts. This is the front office turning up the pressure on Hooker.”

Allen offers much more NFL experience, having started 19 games including 12 with the Panthers in 2019. He has a career completion rate of 62.7% with 4,753 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions.

Hooker, who starred at Tennessee, missed his rookie campaign while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college. But even when healthy, he lost ground last season, with Detroit signing Teddy Bridgewater late and making him the backup for the playoff run.

The Lions have made it clear that Hooker needs to prove himself. GM Brad Holmes said the team still believes in him, but he won’t be handed the backup role.

“We still believe in [Hooker], but nothing’s going to be handed out,” Holmes told USA Today’s Lions Wire. “If Hendon wants to be the backup, he has to earn it.”

Holmes acknowledged the challenges Hooker has faced early in his career.

“He had the injury his first year, and last year was his first full season of practices and game prep,” Holmes said. “We added Bridgewater because we were heading into the postseason, and Hendon just wasn’t ready yet. He understood that situation.”

Would you like a breakdown of how Hooker and Allen compare in terms of play style or fit in Ben Johnson’s offense?