It's not looking very good for former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker
NFL training camps are just getting underway, but things are already trending in the wrong direction for former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker, a third round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, is entering his third season in the NFL. The former Vol is battling veteran quarterback Kyle Allen for […]
NFL training camps are just getting underway, but things are already trending in the wrong direction for former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, a third round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, is entering his third season in the NFL.
The former Vol is battling veteran quarterback Kyle Allen for the backup job in Detroit.
Allen was signed earlier this offseason to serve as competition for Hooker. The Lions' decision to sign Allen came after Hooker was demoted to the No. 3 quarterback role late last season (Detroit signed Teddy Bridgewater out of retirement to serve as Jared Goff's backup late in the season).
On Sunday, Detroit Lions on SI reported that Hooker is receiving third team reps behind Allen early in training camp.
From SI.com: To start training camp, the Lions had Kyle Allen working with the backups and 2023 third-round pick Hendon Hooker getting reps with the third-team offense.
Traditionally, the Lions have rotated their options amongst the backup and third units over the course of camp, but Hooker being with the latter could be telling. He did have an early completion to undrafted tight end Zach Horton during his reps.
Overall, his day was hit-and-miss. He missed low on one pass, and had another deflected at the line of scrimmage.
It's obviously still early in training camp. No one has won or lost the backup quarterback job yet. But it's certainly not a good sign for Hooker that he seemingly already needs to make up ground in this battle.
One thing about Hooker that's worth noting is that he's a "gamer". He's at his best under the bright lights, not during practice.
Former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane pointed that out about Hooker earlier this summer while discussing the 2021 quarterback competition between Hooker and Joe Milton.
"I've said that for years [that] Joe was a great practice player," said Lane. "And that's no knock on his game at all. But Joe was great in practice. Looked amazing in practice. Hendon was not the best practice player. That's when he would sometimes make mistakes that were stupid mistakes in practice.
"That competition, it was a weird competition because Joe really did win that competition in practice — because he was the better quarterback in practice. But then when you get in those game situations, practice isn't always like the game, and so Hendon was just a true gamer. He knew how to step up to that stage and get it done. And that's not to say Joe didn't, but Joe could obviously put that on better in practice."
Hooker turned 27 earlier this year. He'll be a free agent after the 2026 NFL season. The Greensboro, NC native undoubtedly just wants a chance to play — whether that's in Detroit or elsewhere — so he can have a better chance at landing a free agent contract in two years.
Who knows, maybe a fresh start with a new coaching staff is all Hooker needs to show that he belongs in the NFL.
