The Detroit Lions are off to a good start in the 2023 NFL season. The group has a tie for the league’s third-best winning percentage. A postseason trip is almost a given. The group even received a positive update on Hendon Hooker on Wednesday.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Hooker, the team’s rookie quarterback selected in the third round out of Tennessee in 2023, participated in his first practice as an official member of the Lions. The signal caller’s left knee ACL tear has kept him out of action since the draft. In a game against South Carolina in December, Hooker sustained an injury that ended his final year of college.
After Hooker began practicing with the team on a formal basis, the Lions opened a 21-day window. Within this window, Hooker will need to be added to the 53-man roster or placed back on the non-football injury list to finish out his rookie season.
Hooker has been a common sight around the Lions’ training complex. However, he had never participated in positional drills as a professional until Wednesday. The rookie struck upbeat notes as he made his NFL debut following a protracted absence.
“Maintaining my physical fitness and mental well-being to return to a better version of myself,” stated Hooker. “And then, since I’ve been playing shotgun for the past six years, it feels a little bit strange to be able to go through practice, run through the plays, get under center, and actually take some snaps now that I’m here.”
