Lions 'Haven't Really Talked About' Adding Daniel Jones

Lions happy with progress of Hendon Hooker, haven't seriously discussed adding veteran.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8). / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions currently have second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker as the backup to Jared Goff, but they've been linked to a veteran passer that just hit free agency.

Reports surfaced Sunday that the team may have interest in adding recently waived quarterback Daniel Jones, as the Lions were listed amongst a group of other teams. Jones reportedly has interest in joining a playoff contender for the remainder of this season.

Jones was waived by the New York Giants last week and officially cleared waivers, meaning he is free to sign with any other team at this present juncture. On Tuesday, coach Dan Campbell said that his name has come up in conversations, but there have been no serious discussions about adding him to the roster.

"We haven't really talked about that," Campbell said. "The name's come up, but it's not like we've sat down and talked. So I don't want to give you a yes or no."

As it stands, Hooker is the lone backup to Goff. Hooker is in his first active season, as he spent most of last year rehabbing a knee injury suffered in college. Because he was rehabbing as a rookie, this summer offered him his first chance to participate in an NFL training camp and the preseason.

Hooker has made three appearances this season late in blowout victories, completing six-of-nine passes for 62 yards in total. Behind the scenes, however, Campbell indicated that the 26-year-old has exhibited development in opportunities to pilot the offense during practice.

“He’s progressed. He’s progressed, which is — we’ve told him from day one, ‘We just need growth. We need you to grow every week.’ And we’ve given him opportunities in practice, good on good, to run our offense and, as much as we can, putting him under pressure, we’ve done that," Campbell said. "And he’s progressed, that’s the best way to say it. Every guy grows at his own rate, and he’s growing. And listen, if the time comes, he’s got to be ready to play. It doesn’t matter if he’s ready or not. He’ll go in there, and there’s things that he’s done well and those are things that we would call that I think he would have success with, and you would go from there.” 

Asked about progression of Hendon Hooker. Dan Campbell is happy to see any progress from a developmental QB

--Led to a natural question from another reporter about Daniel Jones. Can't say yes or no. Have not discussed him yet as an option

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) November 26, 2024

Hooker showed a reasonable command of the offense during three preseason appearances, including leading the team to a pair of wins against Kansas City and Pittsburgh in the final two exhibitions.

As the season has worn on, Campbell is pleased with the growth shown by the young passer. This especially stands when it comes to the minute details of playing the position, such as having an understanding of the offense and commanding trust from his teammates.

The fourth-year coach indicated that the team would have confidence in Hooker if he was forced to enter a game in the event of an injury to Goff.

“Sure, sure. Any growth is good with me. That’s all. You just want to know that he’s getting better in all the little small areas of playing the quarterback position," Campbell explained. "I think there’s so many things when it comes to that. You want it all, everybody wants it all, and it just doesn’t work that way.

"And you just want to know, you get in there, you command the offense, you get us in the right play. Everybody’s gonna look at you and know you know your you-know-what," Campbell continued. "You know your stuff and they can trust you. Now, is it gonna be perfect? No. It doesn’t need to be, because there’s a way we can play the game if it comes to that too. I do feel him growing, and that’s all you can ask for.”