Tag: Hendon Hooker

The Lions bring back QB Nate Sudfeld

The Lions bring back QB Nate Sudfeld after he missed the 2023 season with a knee injury

The Detroit Lions have brought back reserve quarterback Nate Sudfeld for the 2024 season. The team announced the signing on Wednesday.

Sudfeld was slated to be the Lions’ backup quarterback last season while rookie Hendon Hooker recovered from knee surgery. After joining the Lions prior to the 2022 season and playing sparingly in his first year in Detroit, the longtime Eagles backup struggled in training camp and preseason enough that the team brought in vet Teddy Bridgewater to compete with Sudfeld.

The competition was rendered moot when Sudfeld, now 30, tore his ACL in a preseason game. He spent the 2023 season on the Lions injured reserve.

Now he’s back, presumably as the No. 3 QB behind Jared Goff and Hooker. The Lions have talked up Hooker’s progress all offseason. Signing Sudfeld now could be a strong indication that the Lions are satisfied with the quarterback room as-is before the 2024 NFL draft.

Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine

Lions front office honored with ‘Best Draft Award’ at NFL Scouting Combine for their 2023 draft haul

The 2023 draft class selected by the Detroit Lions has been heralded as one of the best on this site and by many in the media. At the NFL Scouting Combine, it was honored by those within and around the league.

Brad Holmes and his staff were awarded the “Best Draft Award” for their April selections. It was a class that was seen as risky or overreaching at the time, but in the end, the results spoke for themselves. The team found themselves in the NFC Championship game after winning their first division title in over 30 years.

Holmes made several moves on day one of the draft starting with a trade back to get extra picks before landing Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell in round one. Gibbs and Campbell both showed to be leaders on their respective sides of the ball with the Alabama running back looking to become one of the best at his position sooner rather than later.

The Lions general manager then proceeded to make even ore impactful selections on day two of th draft. Between rounds two and three, he would draft the record-breaking Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch, and Hendon Hooker.

LaPorta was ultized by playcaller Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff all year as both a safety blanket option in the passing game but also as a game breaker when need be. Branch made his impact known from the start of the season when his pick-six against the Chiefs on the league’s opening night was just a sign of what was to come.

While Hendon Hooker din’t see the field in 2023, he is someone the franchise remains high on. Coming off a torn ACL in his final year in college, the team got what was seen as a first roudn talent in round three tht they have stashed for the future.

 

Lions inactives for the NFC Championship game: James Houston will play

Lions inactives for the NFC Championship game: James Houston will play

James Houston is active for the NFC Championship game. No sense in burying the lead story.

For the first time since breaking his ankle in Week 2, Lions EDGE James Houston is active for a game. He is poised to take the field for Detroit in San Francisco against the 49ers.

The Lions had two players previously ruled out on the final injury list with injuries in left guard Jonah Jackson and wide receiver/return specialist Kalif Raymond. Third-string QB Hendon Hooker is also inactive but listed as the emergency QB option. Hooker was questionable with a tooth malady.

The healthy scratches feature several of the usual suspects:

  • CB Steven Gilmore
  • DT Brodric Martin
  • S Tracy Walker
  • EDGE Charles Harris

For the 49ers:

Lions inactive players vs. Rams: Sam LaPorta is active

Lions inactive players vs. Rams: Sam LaPorta is active for the wild card game

All eyes were on No. 87 in blue as the Detroit Lions warmed up in Ford Field for Sunday night’s wild card matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. The status of All-Pro rookie tight end Sam LaPorta and his wounded knee was the biggest pre-game question mark on the Lions’ health front.

After going through warmups in the stadium, LaPorta showed enough to make sure he was active for the game.

The Lions inactive players:

OLB Charles Harris

CB Steven Gilmore

WR Kalif Raymond (injured)

S Tracy Walker

OLB Julian Okwara

DT Brodric Martin

QB Hendon Hooker (emergency QB)

Lions inactives for Week 18 vs. Vikings

The Detroit Lions inactives for Week 18 vs. Vikings include WR Jameson Williams

The Detroit Lions close out the regular season with some players returning from injuries injected into the lineup. The returns of DT Alim McNeill and DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the roster moves made to activate them from injured reserve have shaken up the Week 18 inactive player list.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams and tight end Brock Wright were previously ruled out with injuries. Defensive tackle Benito Jones was listed as questionable, and he will play.

Healthy scratches:

DL John Cominsky

CB Steven Gilmore

DE Charles Harris

QB Hendon Hooker (3rd QB)

DT Brodric Martin

All of the regular offensive line is set to play.

Vols produce 3,000-yard player in third straight season, first time in school history

Tennessee produced a 3,000-yard player in a third consecutive season for the first time in school history.

For the first time in school history, Tennessee football produced a player with 3,000-plus yards of total offense in three straight seasons.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker totaled 3,561 yards in 2021 and 3,565 yards in 2022. Quarterback Joe Milton III recorded 3,112 total yards in 2023. Both signal-callers played under head coach Josh Heupel.

Top eight total yard seasons in Tennessee history:

1. 3,789 – Peyton Manning (1997)
2. 3,777 – Joshua Dobbs (2016)
3. 3,578 – Tyler Bray (2012)
4. 3,565 – Hendon Hooker (2022)*
5. 3,561 – Hendon Hooker (2021)*
6. 3,490 – Erik Ainge (2007)
7. 3,156 – Peyton Manning (1996)
8. 3,112 – Joe Milton III (2023)*
*Heupel era

Milton’s career at Tennessee has concluded after opting out of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

“Joe has been with us throughout our bowl preparation just as he has been going through his own process of how he was going to handle things at the end,” Heupel said. “Guys are excited to get an opportunity to play with Nico (Iamaleava). They appreciate Joe obviously for everything that he has done. He’s been a great teammate to everybody inside that locker room, he’s been a great teammate to Nico, as well. He’s been a part of the preparation, and he will be with us all week long to continue to help us.”

Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire
Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire

Lions inactives for Week 16 vs. Vikings: Rookies and injuries abound

The Detroit Lions inactive players list for Week 16 vs. Vikings is loaded with injured players and rookies

The Lions have released the inactive players list for the Week 16 visit to the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a fairly predictable list given the injuries and current construction of the 53-man roster.

With CB Jerry Jacobs and TE Brock Wright previously ruled out due to injury and LB Derrick Barnes listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury, half the list was predetermined.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker will be inactive for his first game on the active roster. Hooker is listed as the No. 3 and emergency QB. Rookies Antoine Green, Brodric Martin and Steven Gilmore round out the inactive players.

Lions activate Hendon Hooker from the NFI list

Lions activate rookie QB Hendon Hooker from the NFI list and waive kicker Riley Patterson

The long road back to being on the football field has finally arrived at the desired endpoint for Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker. Detroit activated the rookie from the non-football injury (NFI) list on Tuesday.

Hooker had been designated to return nearly three weeks ago, and that activation came with one day left on the 21-day clock. Hooker has been recovering from a torn ACL suffered over a year ago while he was playing collegiately at Tennessee. He will be Detroit’s No. 3 quarterback behind Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater.

Activating Hooker allows him to be a full participant in practices and to be actively coached, neither of which were permitted while he was on the reserve list.

To make room on the roster, the Lions waived kicker Riley Patterson. He had lost the kicking gig to Michael Badgley.

Lions injury report: Another starting OL injury to start Week 15

Lions injury report: Another starting OL injury to start Week 15 with Taylor Decker sidelined

Everything is accelerated up a day this week for the Detroit Lions. Playing host to the Denver Broncos on Saturday night means Tuesday takes over for the typical Wednesday role in game preparation. It also means the team released the first practice participation report and entry list for Week 15.

There is some good news on the report, which comes as an estimation of participation with the Lions holding a walkthrough instead of a full practice. Center Frank Ragnow was listed as a limited participant after being out for all of last week’s practice sessions, as well as Sunday’s loss in Chicago.

Unfortunately, as one starting lineman gets closer to being back, another is trending in the opposite direction. Left tackle Taylor Decker was listed as out with a back injury. Decker did not play well in Chicago, and a back injury would certainly explain the struggles he had against the Bears. However, the team is very thin at tackle on the depth chart.

Nose tackle Benito Jones was limited with a neck issue, while rookie QB Hendon Hooker was listed as a full participant. Hooker enters the final seven days of his activation window from the NFI list on Wednesday.

Detroit Lions final injury report for Week 14 vs. the Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions final injury report for Week 14 vs. the Chicago Bears

The Detroit Lions will be without center Frank Ragnow when the team heads west to Chicago for Sunday’s NFC North showdown with the Bears. As had been previously noted, Ragnow is now officially ruled out for Week 14 with injuries to his knee, back and toe.

Also ruled out: rookie QB Hendon Hooker. While he remains on the NFI list, Hooker has been practicing with the team and is on the clock to be activated. Ruling him out as Hooker recovers from his knee surgery last year effectively indicates he won’t be activated until next week.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone carries no injury designation into the game, so Detroit’s defensive captain is good to go. Fellow linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who doubles as the team’s fullback, is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Rodriguez was a limited participant in all three days of practice this week.