Detroit Lions backup quarterback Hendon Hooker participated in his first game in 21 months following an ACL tear at Tennessee. The preseason debut ended after 19 plays.
“Yeah, he got a concussion, so he’s obviously in the protocol and he’ll be evaluated,” coach Dan Campbell said of Hooker following the Lions' 14-3 preseason loss in New York. “I don’t know how long it’s going to be. I know he got his bell rung, so that’s what that was. Obviously, we would have loved to have gotten more time with him, but that’s one of those things that happens. One of his runs there he must have gotten it.”
Hooker injected some life into the Lions when he took over a listless offense in the second half from veteran Nate Sudfeld. Hooker completed 5 of 9 attempts for 36 yards. He added four rushes for 34 yards, leading two drives, including one that stalled out on the 3-yard-line. He ran over a safety on one rush attempt, offering some vivacity to a rain-soiled affair at MetLife Stadium.
It was on one of those runs that Hooker picked up the concussion.
“Well, that’s what happens when you run,” Campbell said. “In this league at the quarterback position, I mean you’re going to take some hits, and so you’ve got to be real selective. He’s going to have to learn to be selective, he’s going to need to slide, so some of those things, if he is going to use more of his legs it’s good, it gets you out of trouble, but that’s the downside of it. You expose yourself to hits. I think him being able to do some of that would be good for his game, but certainly, yeah, we need to limit that, and he’s got to play in the pocket and make some throws there.”
Campbell said he’s unsure how long Hooker will be out with the concussion.
With the Lions sitting their first-stringers, including Jared Goff, Sudfeld started behind a second-string offensive line. The 30-year-old struggled under pressure and held the ball too long when he did have time. He returned after Hooker suffered injury, finishing the game 13-of-24 passing for 96 yards with an interception.
Hooker’s pre-concussion play provided optimism that he could push Sudfeld for backup duties. However, he was still getting his feet wet in the offense -- missing a couple of throws wide and behind targets -- before exiting early.
“Yeah, he moved the ball,” Campbell said of Hooker. “He moved the ball and that’s really the best I can say to this point. He was moving the football, I thought he made some solid decisions before that. A lot of those were the runs, so he made it happen with his legs, but to the point where we were at, we didn’t convert on the fourth down, but it was good to get him in there. You were excited for the next series and then we found out what had happened. So, it was good, he was moving.”
The final two preseason games, if he’s cleared, would be big for Hooker.
If Hooker misses significant time, it likely clinches the backup job for Sudfeld. If, however, the second-year quarterback returns and continues to show positive plays in the final two preseason games, it could give Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes something to think about before cuts.