It’s not a huge surprise, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell has reinforced what the plan is for Hendon Hooker during his rookie season.
The Detroit Lions took Hendon Hooker in the third round of last month’s draft knowing he wouldn’t be ready to play Week 1 as he works his way back from a torn ACL last November. And with Jared Goff locked in as the starting quarterback for 2023, they don’t need Hooker to play right away. For Hooker, the Lions are an ideal situation to land in as he recovers from his injury.
To that end, general manager Brad Holmes set the expectations for Hooker in his rookie season.
"He’s a good person, he’s smart, he’s very talented, he’s had a unique journey and he’s overcame,” . “So, he just has to get healthy. I believe we have the right situation for him, where he can just sit back, develop, get healthy. We’re excited about his upside.”We didn’t draft him No. 6 overall when we were there or anything like that,” Holmes said. “He’s got to get healthy, and he’s got to develop.”"
Dan Campbell reinforces what the plan is for Hendon Hooker as a rookie
Lions head coach Dan Campbell was on the “Green Light Podcast” with former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long on Tuesday. He talked about Hooker, and confirmed what the immediate plan is for the rookie signal caller.
"This really is just a redshirt year for him,” Campbell said. “He’s got to get this leg right first; then he’ll learn under Jared (Goff) and let’s see what happens, you know? If he can eventually become your two (backup), or maybe down the road later on it’s more than that. But it’s going to be a long time.”"
Hooker is also an older rookie, at 25 years old, and he may not take a meaningful NFL snap until he’s 26. But Campbell does not see that as a negative. Holmes made similar comments to Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ website.
"He’s very mature, he looks the part, he’s got a big arm,” Campbell told Long. “He’s just got to learn to play in the NFL. But he’s a pro, now, and I like the fact that he was older. We all kind of liked the fact that he was older. I think you want your quarterback to be a little bit more mature. They’ve got a lot on their plate.”"
Overall, nothing Campbell said to Long about Hooker is surprising. This year is a developmental “redshirt” year for him, which we knew it would be. His age is not a negative–which we know will be said by any and everyone whenever it comes up.
If there was any doubt about the Lions’ plan for Hooker this year, and there really should not have been, it can be put to bed now.