Pressers and scrums: Lions weighing adding another QB to the roster; Onwuzurike breaks silence

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Allen Park — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell provided an injury update for backup quarterback Hendon Hooker Sunday afternoon, and given the nature of concussions, it’s not surprising that update was a little open-ended.

“Honestly, we don’t know, we don’t know where he’s going to be (with his timeline),” Campbell said. “He’s not going to be out there today. We probably won’t have him tomorrow, and so it’s looking less like we will have him in practice this week until Friday, getting ready for the Chiefs, and that’s not a guarantee yet. Until he obviously clears the concussion protocol, then we’re on hold with him. That’ll kind of play itself out.”

Hooker entered Thursday's preseason opener in the second half and led two drives in the third quarter before he was pulled from the game. In that small sample size, Campbell said the team was pleased by some of the things they saw from the second-year QB.

“There were some encouraging things in there,” Campbell said. “He was able to move the offense down the field, he saw a couple of things, had a hot throw, did a good job on one of his progressions kicking it back out to the back, had a couple of runs there. So, for the limited snaps that he was in there, with a very limited package offensively, it was promising.”

Given the Lions aren’t committed to playing any of their projected starters against Kansas City later this week, especially quarterback Jared Goff, I asked Campbell if there was urgency to add another QB to the roster while Hooker recovers.

“(General manager) Brad (Holmes) and I talked about that this morning,” Campbell said “That could come down to the wire, you know, today or tomorrow. There is a chance. I think we’ll have a pretty good idea this afternoon as to do we need to go ahead and do that just to make sure we’ve got a guy other than Nate (Sudfeld) for the game,”

Sudfeld took all the second- and third-team snaps during Sunday's practice. If Hooker isn't able to get cleared this week, and the Lions need to sign another option, it’s likely Sudfeld would play most, if not all the game against Kansas City. A signing would be injury insurance, more than anything.

Without assurances they’d be given every chance to compete and win the backup job, the Lions are unlikely to lure an experienced veteran such as Ryan Tannehill. The more likely option would be a young player, potentially one of the two tryout players who were on the team’s rookie minicamp roster, Theo Day and Cade Peterson.

● Continuing on the injury front, the Lions announced offensive tackle Connor Galvin and defensive lineman Nate Lynn both suffered season-ending injuries in the preseason opener.

Both players had been making a positive impression this training camp, with Galvin drawing recent praise from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Lynn showcasing an impressive series of pass-rush moves while recovering five pressures and splitting a sack against the Giants.

To backfill those roster spots, the Lions signed offensive lineman Jamarco Jones and linebacker Abraham Beauplan.

Jones, a fifth-round pick in 2018, started seven games for the Seattle Seahawks between 2019-21. He’s battled a number of injuries during his career and was most recently with the Tennessee Titans. He offers experience playing both tackle and guard. 

Beauplan went undrafted out of Marshall last year. The 5-foot-11, 241-pounder signed with the Vikings, but ended up landing on injured reserve during the 2023 preseason.

● Campbell offered a positive update on Christian Mahogany, the rookie guard who has been out since the start of training camp with an illness. After attending meetings virtually the past couple weeks, he’s rejoined the team and will be working on getting physically acclimated before returning to practice.

● Levi Onwuzurike broke his camp silence with a short media session on Sunday. A man on a mission, he’s declined interview requests to this point, but it wasn’t much different than what he had to say the last time we talked, in June.

He’s feeling great — like a new man, he said — and he’s added between 25-30 pounds to his frame after playing last season around 280.

“I feel strong on the field, I feel fast on the field,” Onwuzurike said. “Everything my body wants me to do, I can do.”