'We've already seen it': Lions encouraged by QB Hendon Hooker's growth
Allen Park — By the time next season’s playoffs roll around, Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker will be celebrating his 28th birthday.
But in football years, Lions quarterback coach Mark Brunell said he’s still “a puppy” entering his third NFL season.
The upcoming year is a big one for Hooker, who finally got the chance to take significant snaps at the NFL level in last year’s training camp. Based on what Brunell has seen in the offseason program thus far, it’s expected that Hooker, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft, will have taken another notable step when the pads come on in July.
“Every year, he is just going to get better. We've already seen it in just the couple of weeks that we've been on the field. He's throwing the ball better, his footwork is better. And he understands there are concepts. This has been really good for him,” Brunell said last week.
“And, as we go, the kid — because of his focus and his attitude and his work ethic — he's naturally just going to become a better quarterback. When he gets out there in preseason, I imagine he's going to get a lot of reps, and you'll see a better version of him than you did last year. I'm excited about that. I'm really pleased with Hendon."
Hooker lost the majority of his rookie season while rehabbing from a torn ACL that ended his college career at Tennessee and had another setback when he suffered a finger injury in OTAs last season. Still, he managed to beat out veterans Nate Sudfeld and Jake Fromm for the No. 2 job in training camp.
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Lions brass and coaches have made it clear that the backup gig behind incumbent starter Jared Goff is up for grabs again. The competition is currently set to be between Hooker and veteran free-agent addition Kyle Allen.
Allen, who’s started 19 career games and thrown for 4,753 career yards and 26 touchdowns, should be a more formidable training camp opponent than the ones Hooker had last summer. Sudfeld consistently had poor performances in practice and preseason games and Fromm was only added to the roster to eat practice snaps after Hooker suffered his concussion in a Week 1 preseason game against the New York Giants.
“Competition is great all around. That (No.) 2 spot is open. It’s good. Nothing is given to you in this league; you’ve got to earn it,” Brunell said. “Once again, Hendon finds himself in a position where he’s going to have to earn that second spot. It starts now. Obviously, it’s preseason, but it’s our OTAs, it’s anytime we’re on the field. … He’s off to a very good start, which is good.”
Hooker threw the ball 65 times in last year’s preseason, completing 44 of his passes (65.9%) for 300 yards, one touchdown and one interception with 138 total rushing yards. He took snaps in three late-game blowouts during the regular season and went 6 of 9 for 62 yards with a passer rating of 86.3.
Ultimately, the Lions replaced Hooker as the No. 2 behind Goff in late December, re-signing veteran Teddy Bridgewater for the playoff run. Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the time that signing Bridgewater was not an indictment on Hooker.
“This does no mean that Hooker is out, that’s not what this means. … I understand what this looks like, but it’s just a different world we’re getting ready to walk into, and I just — we felt like this was the right thing to do,” Campbell said last December.
One thing that bodes well for Hooker’s progression this camp is that Detroit, which does not play its starters in preseason games, will have a fourth exhibition (compared to the usual three) after being tapped for the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Canton, Ohio on July 31.
“Repetition is the mother of learning,” said Lions offensive coordinator John Morton, who’s just getting to know Hooker but said he’s already emphasizing technique in his coaching.
Repetition is hard to achieve as a reserve NFL quarterback because developmental snaps are hard to come by, which makes an extra preseason game all the more valuable.
“A lot of veterans (see) an extra preseason game and it's, 'Ugh.' But for the quarterback position, I love it,” Brunell said. “I love it that Hendon and Kyle will be getting more reps, more game time, so it allows you to evaluate more. It allows those guys to have more opportunities to move the team. I'm thrilled about that. That'll be really good for us.”
The Lions’ offseason program concludes June 5, which means Hooker has just a few more weeks of in-house competition without pads on before things heat up in July.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 'We've already seen it': Lions encouraged by QB Hendon Hooker's growth
