The 2023 NFL season has been good to the Detroit Lions so far. The team is tied for the third-best winning percentage in the entire league. A playoff berth is all but assured. On Wednesday, the team even got an encouraging update on Hendon Hooker.
Hooker, the team's rookie quarterback drafted in the third round out of Tennessee in 2023, logged his first practice as an official member of the Lions, per the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett. The signal caller has been sidelined since being drafted because of a torn ACL in his left knee. Hooker suffered the injury in a December game against South Carolina, ending his final collegiate season.
With Hooker officially practicing with the team, the Lions have activated a 21-day window. In this timeframe, the team must either add Hooker to the 53-man roster, or put him back on the non-football injury list for the remainder of his rookie campaign.
Eye on 2024?
Hooker has been a regular presence around the Lions' practice facility. But Wednesday was the first time he took part in positional drills as a pro. The rookie sounded a positive note as he started his NFL journey after a long delay.
“Continuing to build my legs, continuing to build my mental in a positive direction to get back to a better me,” Hooker said. “And then now that I’m here actually being able to go through practice and run through the plays and get under center and actually take some snaps, which has been a little bit foreign since I've been playing shotgun the past six years, it just feels good…”
Of course, Jared Goff is currently excelling as Detroit's QB1. Meanwhile, steady veteran Teddy Bridgewater serves in the backup role to Goff. As a result, Hooker is unlikely to see the field at all in 2023.
Now, Detroit coaches can work hands-on with Hooker. If he shows significant progress, he might even compete to play a role in 2024.
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