Former Vols QB Hendon Hooker’s situation with the Carolina Panthers just became very murky
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker spent the first two seasons of his NFL career with the Detroit Lions before landing with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason.
Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is having a hard time finding playing time in the NFL.
Hooker, a third-round selection by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, has attempted just nine regular-season passes since entering the league a couple of years ago.
The Greensboro, NC, native was released by the Lions just before the start of the 2025 NFL season. Hooker signed with the Carolina Panthers two days after getting released by Detroit.
That appeared to be a good move for Hooker’s pro career, as it looked like he would never get a chance to play for the Lions.
Unfortunately for Hooker, it looks like he may not get the chance to play in Carolina, either.
The Panthers brought in another quarterback after Bryce Young suffered an injury in Carolina’s win over the New York Jets
Panthers starting quarterback Bryce Young suffered an injury in Carolina’s Week 7 win over the New York Jets. The injury is expected to keep him out of next week’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton is expected to start for Carolina against Buffalo.
The assumption was that with Young injured, Hooker would serve as the primary backup to Dalton.
But that may not be the case.
The Panthers signed veteran journeyman quarterback Mike White to their practice squad on Monday. White, who started his career with the Dallas Cowboys, played for the Bills last season.
It’s unclear if it’ll be White or Hooker who serves as the primary backup to Dalton.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales, however, seemed to suggest this week that the Panthers were hoping to sign a quarterback to back up Dalton.
If Hooker isn’t the primary backup to Dalton this week, that’s probably a really bad sign for the future of his NFL career.
Hooker is already 27 years old (he will turn 28 in January), he hasn’t received any meaningful NFL snaps, and the coaching staff never trusted him in Detroit despite spending two-plus seasons with the organization.
At this point, it’s hard to see Hooker making an impact in the NFL, which is unfortunate. Hooker is the type of player who is better on game days than he is in practice (kind of like former Vols quarterback Josh Dobbs). I don’t know how successful Hooker would be in the NFL if he got a chance to play a significant role in the regular season, but it would be nice to see him get that opportunity.
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