Former Tennessee Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker is fighting for a spot on the Detroit Lions' 53-man roster this summer.
Hooker, a third round selection by the Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft, has attempted just nine passes during his first two seasons in the NFL.
Late last season, Hooker was demoted by Detroit to the No. 3 quarterback role in favor of veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who was signed out of retirement to serve as Jared Goff's primary backup during the Lions' playoff run.
The decision to sign Bridgewater suggested that Detroit wasn’t fully comfortable with Hooker’s development at the time.
Earlier this offseason, the Lions signed veteran Kyle Allen to serve as competition for Hooker during training camp.
Allen, who is just two years older than Hooker, has 19 career starts under his belt.
It goes without saying that training camp and preseason action will be extremely important for the former Tennessee quarterback.
Woodward Sports Network's Sean Balligan, however thinks the Lions' decision on Hooker has "already been made", regardless of what happens this summer.
Balligan and Woodward Sports' Network's Neal Ruhl discussed Hooker's roster status in Detroit this past week.
"I think that it's do or die (for Hooker)," said Ruhl. "I think that when they kick that ball off in Canton, Ohio (for Lions' Hall of Fame game against the Los Angeles Chargers) -- we talk about it all the time, and you know as well as I do, the preseason dictates who makes the roster and who doesn't. It's your only shot. It's your one opportunity for NFL glory. And if you don't show out in that preseason game, it is over for you. So Hendon Hooker needs to approach it as such. He needs to be breaking down the [Chargers'] defensive scheme....he needs to be in the playbook right now, looking at defensive schematic tendencies and breaking it down."
"The decision's made, you know it," responded Balligan. "He gone -- he gone."
"The decision's already been made," added Balligan. "You know it, I know it, we all know it."
I don't necessarily think Balligan is correct in saying that a decision has already been made, but that doesn't mean that he'll be wrong about his roster prediction for Hooker.
The Lions will almost certainly weigh preseason results and practice film in making their decision between Allen and Hooker.
Allen's previous NFL experience, however, gives him a big advantage in this battle.
When it comes to Hooker's future in the NFL, not making the Lions' 53-man roster might actually open the door to an opportunity for him to finally see some significant regular-season action. It's clear that Hooker doesn't have much of a future in Detroit -- with Goff firmly entrenched as the starter. Ultimately, Hooker just wants a chance to play. And his best opportunity likely lies somewhere outside of Detroit.
