The Detroit Lions took a big chance when they drafted Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While he was coming off what looked to be a Hesiman-type season before tearing his ACL, Hooker’s age presented the team with a shorter turnaround to make him a premium backup. 

Hooker is now in his third season with the team, and he has not taken that step that the Lions had hoped he’d take a little earlier. His first year in Detroit, he dealt with recovery from the ACL, and that held him back. The second year, he came in and struggled mightily with timing. 

He would hold onto the ball too long and take sacks or be forced to throw the checkdown. Then in an effort to correct that, he’d speed up too fast and throw an interception or incomplete pass. There are moments when his timing is just right, and you see what he’s capable of. There are also moments when you see that arm and you get it. 

But that was when the Lions would allow him to throw. Any time he got into regular-season games during blowouts, the Lions would purposely not allow him to throw the ball. It was clear they did not trust him yet. That’s why they reportedly were looking at Daniel Jones, and that’s why they ultimately brought back Teddy Bridgewater and made Hooker inactive the rest of the year. 

Now we’re in season three, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell’s words ring of it’s now or never for Hooker and that this QB2 spot is not going to be handed to him. 

“Hooker knows the deal. Man, this is no different. You’re out here to compete, you know…He knows it’s time to take the next step. And so it’s his move. And I think he’s wired right, and it means something to him. And so here we go, man, it’s open camp.”

Campbell talked about how the Lions gave Hooker some homework during the time that he was at home. They wanted him to work on footwork and urgency. Essentially, the two things he struggled with last summer. 

Campbell said that he felt good about how hooker looked on day one of camp and that he could see that urgency from him. In our day one camp observations, we wrote about how Hooker had some strong moments on day one, but that there were still some ghosts from the past. There was a moment he held on too long, and there was another where he went too fast. Both resulted in dead plays. But like Campbell said, it’s just one day. We’ll see where things go from there. 

Kyle Allen has a chance to take the job, but he also has to show more than he has in the early going. It’s not like he had a bad day on Sunday, but there was nothing to write home about. 

In terms of a possible Teddy Bridgewater return, Campbell says that he has kept in contact with Bridgewater, but on a personal level. The two are noted friends. At this time, it doesn’t sound like the Lions are looking to have a reunion. 

Detroit Lions Training Camp Observations Day 1: The future at center seems clearer, and young guys get big chances

The Detroit Lions were back at camp on Sunday, and there were some big things to talk about right off the bat. The biggest story was obviously the loss of Levi Obwuzrukie for the season. That's a hard blow. Outside of that, there were many things we observed that are worth talking about.  The center […]