Former Tennessee Vols and Detroit Lions QB Hendon Hooker hasn’t exactly had the start to his professional career that he’d hoped for. The former Vol was taken by Lions in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and while an opportunity to start never emerged, Hooker never developed into a capable QB2 in almost two and a half years with the franchise.
Fortunately for Hooker, he landed in a spot where that word – develop – has particular meaning with his new head coach. The Carolina Panthers signed Hooker to their practice squad on Wednesday.
The Panthers’ Dave Canales has had notable success in recent years at previous stops with some notable quarterbacks. He helped Geno Smith have a career revival with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, in which he earned his first Pro Bowl selection and the AP Comeback Player of the Year Award.
The next year, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, he helped turn around what had become a stagnant offense into a solid unit, and Baker Mayfield had a career-best season, earning his first Pro Bowl honors in the process.
In Canales’ first season as the Panthers’ head coach in 2024, Bryce Young had a noticeably improved performance in his second year with Carolina after getting benched during a tough rookie season.
Now, Hooker, who is from nearby Greensboro, has the chance to learn from a staff that’s led by the man who’s made a living turning quarterbacks around for the last few seasons. For a player who doesn’t seem to have developed entering year three, it could be just what the doctor ordered for Hooker to find NFL success down the line – whether that’s in Charlotte or elsewhere.
