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Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers inactives: Hendon Hooker still the No. 2 QB
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- Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers inactives: Hendon Hooker still the No. 2 QB
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Hendon Hooker is still the Detroit Lions ' No. 2 quarterback. For now, at least.
Hooker is active as the backup quarterback behind Jared Goff for the Lions' game tonight against the San Francisco 49ers , while the newly re-signed Teddy Bridgewater was designated as the team's emergency No. 3 QB.
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) makes a pass against Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.
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The Lions signed Bridgewater as quarterback insurance Thursday, weeks after he led his alma mater, Miami Northwestern, to a Florida high school state championship as a coach.
Bridgewater is in his 11th NFL season, while Hooker has completed six of nine passes — all this season — in his career.
Hooker told the Free Press on Thursday he still was taking No. 2 quarterback reps in practice.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said it was important to have three quarterbacks on the active roster in case of injury. Under NFL roster rules, a player designated as the emergency quarterback can enter a game if both the starter and his backup get hurt without counting against the gameday roster. Only players on the 53-man roster can be designated emergency QBs.
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"Absolutely it does (give you more security)," Campbell said. "Now you don't have to be concerned with that. And depending on who's inactive, you don't have to — you can get the guy to the game that you want and if something happens you've got your third ready to roll."
The Lions (14-2) are expected to play their starters in tonight's NFC championship game rematch , though the game has no bearing on their playoff positioning. The winner of next week's Lions-Minnesota Vikings game will win the NFC North and get the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Along with Bridgewater, running back David Montgomery (knee), offensive linemen Gio Manu, Kayode Awosika and Colby Sorsdal and defensive linemen Jonah Williams and Brodric Martin are inactive for the Lions.
The Lions also activated linebacker and special-teams ace Jalen Reeves-Maybin from injured reserve to the 53-man roster before Monday's game.
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Dave Birkett is the author of the new book, " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline."
Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions vs 49ers inactives: Hendon Hooker still No. 2 QB
