Follow reports from on the ground at Allen Park through OTAs and now into training camp, and you'll see signs of the raw talent Hendon Hooker has. You'll also hear about ups and downs, as expected since these are his first meaningful NFL practices after a "redshirt" rookie season spent working his way back from a torn ACL during his final college season.
The transition from the simpler offense he ran at Tennessee to the Lions' offense has also been a steep one for Hooker, right down to his footwork being reworked. That kind of transition isn't unique to him, even as NFL offenses have taken on elements of college offenses over time.
Hooker is in a competition with Nate Sudfeld to be the Lions' No. 2 quarterback. He should be able to win that competition based on talent alone, but it's not breaking news he'll have to earn it. If he can't beat out Sudfeld, that will be a whole different conversation point.
Hendon Hooker reveals injury that impacted him during OTAs
Justin Rogers, formerly of the Detroit News and now hanging his self-publishing shingle at Detroit Football Network, caught up with Hooker recently. The entire piece is well worth the time, including some notes from Hooker about the leadership Jared Goff has shown him.
But perhaps most interestingly. the well-chronicled accuracy inconsistency Hooker had during OTAs now has an explanation.
"A lot of people don't know, I dislocated my finger in OTAs,” Hooker said. “I dislocated my finger in the first practice, so those OTAs, I couldn't control the ball like I wanted to. It was my ring finger. That's what's going on the laces. That's how I control the ball, even if other quarterbacks might not control the ball that way. That affected my ball a lot. So I'm trying to get back into my rhythm, ripping the ball.”
NFL teams are under no obligation to disclose specific information about injuries that happen during OTAs. Unless they're majorly obvious, and then possibly disclosed, no one will be able to accurately report them. Hooker dislocated the ring finger on his throwing hand during the first OTA practice, which he also revealed is the finger he has on the laces at the core of how he controls the ball. Hooker said "a lot of people" didn't know about the injury. No one outside the Lions' building knew about it until now.
So Hooker was working on honing things from the ground (footwork) up during OTAs, while also battling a dislocated finger on his throwing hand from the start. Whether that's a reason or an excuse for his up-and-down performance during OTAs is subjective. But as training camp ramps up and the first preseason game nears, Hooker is undeniably entering a critical stretch in his effort be Goff's primary backup in 2024.