When they drafted him in the third round of the 2023 draft, the Detroit Lions knew Hendon Hooker was in line for a "redshirt year" working his way back from a torn ACL during his final season at Tennessee. Head coach Dan Campbell said exactly that, and Hooker was added to the active roster late last season so he could keep practicing.
So as a practical matter, OTAs and minicamp represented Hooker's first significant work as an NFL quarterback. According to reports on-site at Allen Park he had the expected ups and downs, but the expectation is he will be more comfortable when training camp comes.
Lions passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, via SI.com, also noted the work that had to be done with Hooker as an explanation for the struggles he had in OTAs.
“It's just getting him engulfed in the footwork at which we want the quarterback to play within the passing game, within the system," Engstrand said. "He comes from a different system at Tennessee in college where, really, he was almost standing still, almost sitting in cement where there was no movement going on and he was just waiting. Now, things are in rhythm, in timing, the routes should be coming open at a specific time in his drop and the ball needs to be thrown at those times."
Hooker is not the first quarterback to face a notable transition from the offense he ran in college to what an NFL offense demands. And he's essentially a rookie, which has kept the idea the Lions might want a more experienced backup for Jared Goff afloat.
The Lions gave Goff a big four-year contract extension this offseason. That deal will cover the rest of Hooker's rookie contract, and then some. So barring an injury or something otherwise unforeseen regarding Goff's performance, Hooker has no path to significant playing time in Detroit.
Bleacher Report's Matt Holder has outlined a to-do list for each NFL team over the rest of the offseason, The headliner of the three items for the Lions, above "Sign a veteran offensive tackle" and "Add a linebacker", is...
To trade Hooker.
"The Detroit Lions gave Jared Goff a contract extension this offseason, which pretty much ensures Hooker will be a backup throughout his rookie deal. Trading last year's third-round pick to a QB-needy team sooner rather than later would allow the front office to maximize its return for him."
"Also, the Lions already have Nate Sudfeld on the roster to fill the backup role or could sign someone like Ryan Tannehill to play behind Goff. In the latter scenario, it would help that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was on the coaching staff in Miami when the 35-year-old was there from 2012 to 2018."
The idea Sudfeld is a good solution to fill the backup role is ludicrous, since if he had to start in place of Goff the Lions' season would be over. Tannehill is not a fresh idea on the experienced backup front. Campbell was also in Miami during part of Tannehill's time there, which bolsters the possible fit.
Grade the trade idea: Lions give up on Hendon Hooker site mostly unseen
Other than to note trading him to a "QB-needy team sooner rather than later" would "allow the front office to maximize its return for him", Holder makes no proposal for what the Lions could get in return for Hooker. That's because it wouldn't be much.
At this point, you'd get next to nothing for trading Hendon Hooker, and you'd give up on developing him after like 4 months.
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) June 20, 2024
You'd essentially make him a bust before even giving him a chance. https://t.co/dehyOnnjL8
It makes all kinds of sense for the Lions to have a veteran quarterback who has actually played (not Sudfeld) behind Goff. If that is done, a corollary move to trade Hooker before the season starts doesn't make any sense. Under most any circumstance, shy of an offer that can't be refused, it won't make sense to trade Hooker before the season starts.