Hendon Hooker was dealing with accuracy issues back in the spring. Turns out there was a perfectly good reason for that.
Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker has looked noticeably better in training camp than he did in Organized Team Activities in the spring. He’s more accurate, he looks like he’s in better command of the offense, and he just looks more comfortable . Some of this is likely due to normal progression as a younger player going through his first offseason program.
But it turns out some of his improvement could simply be getting healthier. Hooker revealed to Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network that on the very first day of OTAs in the spring, he suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand .
“So those OTAs, I couldn’t control the ball like I wanted to,” Hooker said. “It was my ring finger. That’s what’s going on the laces. That’s how I control the ball, even if other quarterbacks might not control the ball that way. That affected my ball a lot. So I’m trying to get back into my rhythm, ripping the ball.”
That tracks with some of the things we were seeing back in the spring. We noted several times that Hooker seemed to be struggling with his control of the football , and several reporters noted toward the end of OTAs that Hooker was still visibly bothered by his fingers after throwing the ball.
As with any quarterback going through their first training camp, Hooker is still in need of growth in other areas, too. Earlier this offseason, passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand detailed a complete reconstruction of Hooker’s footwork.
“He comes from a different system at Tennessee in college where really he was almost standing still—almost like sitting in cement at times where there was no movement going on and he’s just waiting,” Engstrand said. “Where now it’s, things are in rhythm, in timing, the routes should be coming open at a specific time in his drop and the ball needs to be thrown at those times.”
Hooker has continued to get work with the second and third teams, but the true test will come in just over a week when he plays in his first preseason game against the Giants.
You can read more about Hooker’s development in Rodgers’ exclusive interview with the young quarterback here .