Detroit Lions place three players on NFI list, including rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker

Detroit Lions veterans will report to training camp on Saturday. The first practice will be on Sunday, and the first practice open to the public will be on July 29. So there's some roster tweaking to be done, with the trade acquistion of Denzel Mims and the release of kicker Michael Badgley of note between Wednesday night and the middle of the day on Thursday.

Injury evaluations, in terms of who will be able to practice when camp starts, are also being done right now. On that front, the Lions placed three players on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list on Thursday--Hendon Hooker, Derrick Deese Jr. and Zach Morton. The move to release Badgley was also formally announced.

The headliner going to the NFI list is of course Hooker, the Lions' third-round pick who is rehabbing from a torn left ACL and menisicus suffered last November playing at Tennessee. Speaking at SEC Media Days earlier this week, Hooker discussed his timeline to be fully healthy,

"Right now, I’m seven months out, really just stacking days,” “I just got back from L.A., working with Jordan Palmer and my rehab team, MOTUS. They’re really dialing into the little things to help my body get back to a stronger and better me.

“Usually, it’s 9-10 months, depending on the degree of injury and the surgery. I’m feeling better every single day. Whenever I get to get out there, move around, throw the ball, run, I’m ecstatic. I can’t do too much, too fast.”""

Hendon Hooker

It's not a shock Hooker will open training camp on an injury list. Since his injury occurred when he was a college player and not doing NFL things at an NFL facility, as we learned last year with Jameson Williams, Hooker is placed on the "Non-Football Injury" list.

Players on the NFI list obviously can't practice while they're on the list, and they count against the 90-man roster. They can come off the list at any time before the season starts, and practice immediately.

If players on the NFI list is not ready to practice by the start of the season, they can be placed on the NFI/reserve list. Those players will not count against the 53-man roster, and they will be ineligible to play for at least the first four games of the season. That seems likely for Hooker, while Deese and Morton are big longshots to make the 53-man roster even if they get healthy.

Hooker is headed for a "redshirt year", as labeled by head coach Dan Campbell. A spot on the 53-man roster at some point this season is not necessarily out of the question, but it's still very unlikely he plays as a rookie.