In the competition for the Lions backup quarterback job, Hendon Hooker had been the perceived favorite over Nate Sudfeld. So far, he's had the expected ups and downs of a young quarterback seeing his first meaningful practice reps with improvement during training camp.
Late last month Hooker revealed, somewhat out of the blue, that he suffered a dislocated ring finger on his throwing hand on the first day of OTAs. That certainly helps explain the accuracy issues that were consistently reported during offseason work, as Hooker said that finger is how he controls the football.
Before Monday's joint practice against the Giants, head coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Hooker still needs reps above everything else. During that practice session he continued to be up and down, including a fumble when he pump faked.
Dislocated finger is still a thing for Hendon Hooker
In his post-practice observations on Monday, Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News pointed to the finger injury as a possible culprit for that fumble by Hooker.
After Monday's practice, Hooker reiterated his dislocated finger to a wider swath of reporters and said he's still working to get back to normal.
"I dislocated my ring finger, which is what I use to control the ball, put my fingers on the laces, the first practice. Dealing with that, I couldn’t really control the ball like I wanted to..."It (felt) terrible. It (felt) terrible. And it was sore for so long, like after OTAs, so I’m just continuing to work on that every day and throwing every single day in order to get my grip back to where I want it to be, for the balls whipping off my fingers.”
Credit to Hooker for fighting through the dislocated finger and throwing every day during OTAs and so far in training camp. He also did a lot of work during the time in-between. He's clearly heeding Campbell's words about needing as many reps as possible. But more than two months later the finger injury is still a thing, even just residually as Hooker acknowledged he's trying to get his grip back to normal.
As for how long it takes for a dislocated finger to heal, let's turn to University of Utah Heath for an answer.
"Dislocated finger recovery time varies. You can usually return to normal activities, including sports, within a few weeks following injury. But it can take up to three months for a dislocated pinky, thumb, pointer finger, or ring finger to feel normal—and up to six months for the finger to fully heal."
"While most dislocated fingers will return to full function, you may still experience mild discomfort for up to a year after the injury. In rare cases, there might be some ongoing swelling of the injured joint."
So while it may feel like Hooker's dislocated finger should not still be such a thing, medical professionals say it can take up to three months to feel normal and up to six months to fully heal. He's in that first window right now.
We very likely wouldn't even know about the finger injury if Hooker didn't first reveal it to Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network. Whether it was offered as a reason or an excuse for his struggles can be debated back and forth, but beating out Sudfeld for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart should not be this much trouble. Thursday night's preseason opener is looking pivotal, especially for Hooker.