Dan Campbell encouraged by Hendon Hooker’s growth in rookie season

The Detroit Lions have been encouraged by Hendon Hooker’s developmental progress over the final months of the 2023 season.

When the Detroit Lions selected quarterback Hendon Hooker with the No. 68 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they knew he would take time to develop because of his ACL injury, but were excited about his upside.

The Lions made it clear they were not going to rush Hooker back from his injury and planned on making sure he was fully healed before they put him on the field. At the same time, that on-field learning would be incredibly valuable to his development, and as soon as he was ready, they wanted to immerse him in what it means to be a quarterback in the NFL.

While Hooker healed, the Lions signed Teddy Bridgewater to act as Jared Goff’s backup, while also mentoring Hooker along the way. The week after Thanksgiving, Hooker was finally healthy and was able to begin practicing and thus began his developmental journey over the final two-plus months of the season.

While Hooker is still working on developing his game, the Lions are happy and encouraged with the developmental progress he showed late in the year.

“The best I can tell you is there’s growth,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the NFL Combine on Tuesday. “We saw growth, and that’s encouraging. That’s all we can ask at this point. So I don’t think we entirely know what he is yet. There’s not enough evidence, but I know this: we saw progress and that’s what we’re looking for.”

This offseason, with Bridgewater moving on to a career in coaching, the Lions appear ready to turn to Hooker as their top reserve behind Goff. It’s been painfully clear the Lions have a long-term vision for Hooker, and every decision they have made along the way has been calculated and with purpose.