Campbell: Hooker to have 'redshirt year' in '23, Lions like that QB is older
The Detroit Lions are in no rush to see what quarterback Hendon Hooker can do in the NFL.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently said the team doesn't plan to play Hooker - whom Detroit drafted in the third round - as a rookie in 2023.
"This really is just a redshirt year for him," Campbell said on the "Green Light with Chris Long" podcast. "He's got to get this leg right first, then he'll learn under Jared (Goff), and let's see what happens. If he can eventually become your (QB2), or maybe down the road later on it's more than that. But it's going to be a long time."
Hooker turned heads at Tennessee last year but suffered a torn ACL in November. However, the 25-year-old is expected to be available to play by September.
"I'll get cleared 100% by Sept. 1," Hooker recently told The Athletic's Jeff Howe.
In addition to the major knee injury, many experts pointed to Hooker's age as a potential concern for the passer prior to the 2023 NFL Draft. He'll turn 26 next January. However, Campbell doesn't see any issues with that.
"We did go into this offseason saying that we wanted to bring in some competition at quarterback," Campbell said. "We didn't know exactly where that might be, who that would be at the time, but we did like Hooker. We knew he was coming off the injury, but there was something about him that was appealing.
"He's very mature, he looks the part, he's got a big arm. He's just got to learn to play in the NFL. But he's a pro now, and I like the fact that he was older. We all kind of liked the fact that he was older. I think you want your quarterback to be more mature."
Goff, who's started the last two seasons for Detroit, put together a strong season in 2022, passing for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns against just seven interceptions. The 28-year-old has two years left on his contract.
Detroit's quarterback depth chart also currently features veteran Nate Sudfeld and rookie Adrian Martinez, who signed with the team as an undrafted free agent.