Lions Not Yet Ready to Name Official Backup Quarterback

After the conclusion of the preseason, the Detroit Lions are not yet ready to officially declare who their backup quarterback is behind Jared Goff.

The contestants, Nate Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker, both got the chance to play significant reps in the preseason. Hooker showed off dynamic ability with his legs, while Sudfeld has the trust of the staff given his experience with the system.

"It's hard to answer that because there again, they both bring something different, you know, and you could easily say one of them gets you out of the game and another one is the other one starts for you. If something happened the next week and you know, so I mean, you're, you're going to use you're going to use all those guys. I guess it's the best way to say it."

For the fourth-year head coach, it is difficult to label Hooker, the second-year quarterback as the backup, as he is viewing the player from the perspective of growth.

"They've all shown something a little bit different. I mean, let's start with Hooker. You want to know, plain and simple, it's hard for me to just just jump right in and say, 'Man, he's, you feel great at number two.' I think a him as, is he growing? Like that. Literally. That's where my mind goes first. Is he growing? Is he developing? Yes he is. He got better. All right, because he got reps. That's good.

"Nate. Nate, for the most part, has done what we've asked him to do," Campbell commented further. "There's a couple of decisions here and there, but we know what he is. He's been around the system now going on three years."

The NFL recently reported on a rule that got vetoed that likely increases the odds Sudfeld remains on the Lions roster.

According to NFL Network, "NFL teams were informed that the NFLPA vetoed the revised Emergency 3rd Quarterback rule that would have allowed teams to elevate a bona fide QB from the practice squad an unlimited number of times.

The Lions proposed the potential rule change, but unfortunately were not able to get it passed. As a result, the rule remains that states the emergency third quarterback must be on the 53-man roster, not an elevation.