The Lions got only limited contributions from rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker in the spring. Now, the rehabbing third-round draft pick is set to be sidelined into the fall, with the Detroit Free Press reporting Hooker is expected to remain on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list for the entirety of 2023 training camp.
Hooker, 25, was a polarizing draft prospect in part due to his age and injury status, coming off a mid-November ACL tear that prematurely ended his final season at Tennessee. Detroit placed him on the NFI list prior to the start of camp, which means he counts against the 90-man offseason roster and can be activated to practice at any point. But the Lions "are in no hurry to get him on the field," per Dave Birkett, and Hooker isn't "tracking toward" full clearance until "sometime this fall."
That means Hooker is unlikely to take any camp or preseason reps until at least 2024, leaving veteran backup Nate Sudfeld as the unchallenged No. 2 behind starter Jared Goff. It also confirms previous hints from coach Dan Campbell, who told reporters after the draft that 2023 was unofficially "a redshirt year" for Hooker, adding that "it's gonna be a long time" until the Tennessee product is ready to compete for even a backup role.
If Hooker were to remain on the NFI list after the finalization of 53-man rosters, he'd be required to miss the Lions' first eight games of the season, although he could technically begin practicing after six weeks.
Projected by some as a first-round prospect ahead of April's draft, Hooker did some throwing during both rookie and mandatory minicamp this offseason, but he was never a full participant with the rest of the team. In spite of that, the rookie said in June that he was "way ahead of schedule" in recovery from his ACL tear.
Detroit is already dealing with other injury issues as Chauncey Gardner-Johnson left practice on a cart after suffering a non-contact leg injury Monday, according to Lions senior writer Twentyman, who reports the team is "hoping for better news than it looked."
