Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images Does the signing of Kyle Allen suggest Hendon Hooker’s job as backup Detroit Lions quarterback is in danger? Late on Thursday night, the Detroit Lions came to an agreement with free agent quarterback Kyle Allen, and on Friday hi s signing became official. Admittedly, the signing caught me off guard, as the Lions already had three quarterbacks under contract: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker, and Jake Fromm. Detroit has carried both three and four quarterbacks on their roster during the offseason and training camp, so it’s not an anomaly by the numbers game. However, many have looked at Allen as a possible challenge to Hooker’s spot as the team’s backup. Hooker remains a relative unknown. He only went through his first offseason last year, and while he certainly improved as the process went on, by the end of preseason he didn’t necessarily look ready to step in if anything were to happen to Goff. The Lions even took precautions in the playoffs, making Teddy Bridgewater the team’s official backup, not wanting Hooker’s first legitimate action to be in a win-or-go-home situation. So that begs the question: Is Hendon Hooker’s backup job in jeopardy with the addition of Kyle Allen ? My answer: I don’t believe so... yet. First of all, we don’t know the contract numbers. If they’re around the league minimum with almost no guaranteed money, then it’s a pretty big hint Allen is not much of a threat to Hooker. If there are enough guarantees in the contract to suggest he won’t get cut, that’s another story. But let’s be honest about who Allen is. Last year, he was the third string quarterback behind Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in Pittsburgh. In 2023, he was the backup to Josh Allen. In 2022, he started as the backup to Davis Mills, then started a couple games. But after seeing him play, the Texans benched him, and he was replaced by the two-quarterback system of Milles and Jeff Driskel. That should really say it all when it comes to where Allen is at. He’s a bottom-tier backup and probably more likely a third stringer. He’s also a veteran, which can be of help in the Lions quarterback room. Detroit loves to add experienced quarterbacks to help manage the film study and aid both the starting and backup quarterbacks. Just look at how they’ve valued guys like Bridgewater, David Blough, and Nate Sudfeld in the past. But those guys have primarily served as third stringers. At this point, I think it’s premature to suggest Allen’s signing has anything to do with Hooker at all. If anything, it probably puts Fromm’s spot on the practice squad in danger this year. That said, no one is just given a job in Detroit. Hooker will certainly need to continue to progress to earn the backup job—just like everyone else on the team must earn their spot. I just don’t think Allen or Fromm are where they need to be to unseat Hooker. Share your thoughts on Hooker’s roster security by voting in the poll below and explaining your vote in the comment section below. ...read more read less