Former Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has his landing spot. The Carolina Panthers are signing Hooker to their practice squad, The Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye first reported, just two days after the Detroit Lions waived the signal caller.
Hooker spent two years with the Lions and was battling with Kyle Allen for the backup quarterback job behind Jared Goff. Allen won that job and Detroit decided to waive Hooker after the former Tennessee standout struggled in the preseason. Hooker played in all four preseason games, completing 22-of-40 passes for 187 yards and three interceptions. He added 62 rushing yards.
According to Lions Fan Report on X, Hooker’s offense scored just three total points in 20 drives for Detroit this preseason. After last week’s loss to Houston, Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell noted that a change of scenery might be best for Hooker.
“Look, it’s always going to be how much development do you believe there is,” Campbell said. “Because look, we are talking about Hooker right now. How much development do you believe there still is? Sometimes does the player need a change of scenery? What about our own depth in other areas? I mentioned this the other day, relative to that – all right, maybe there is room to grow. Is that worth it for the depth we need at O-Line, D-Line, receiver, DB? And so those are all things you have to weigh.”
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Hooker lands on Carolina’s practice squad with little path to playing time. Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, enters his third season as the Panther’s starting quarterback while veteran Andy Dalton is returning as his backup for a second straight season.
Ironically, Hooker and Young were the two quarterbacks in the legendary Tennessee-Alabama game in 2022 with both quarterbacks excelling in the Vols’ 52-49 win. Hooker accounted for 441 yards and five touchdowns while Young accounted for 451 yards and two touchdowns.
Detroit drafted Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft after the star quarterback’s college career ended with a November knee injury that limited him not only leading into the NFL Draft but in his rookie season. Hooker played in three games for the Lions last season where he completed six-of-nine passes for 62 total yards.
Hooker was dominant in his two seasons at Tennessee, throwing for 6,080 yards and 58 touchdowns and rushing for 1,050 yards and 10 touchdowns in 24 games. The Greensboro, North Carolina native was a top contender for the 2022 Heisman Trophy before suffering a season-ending injury late in the season.
Despite missing the very end of the season, Hooker still earned the SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors in his senior season at Tennessee
