Why Hendon Hooker Could Finish Season on NFI List
The Detroit Lions are facing very tough roster decisions over the next couple of weeks.
With injured players returning, members of the active roster on the lower end of the depth chart could be seeing their run in Motown come to an end.
For rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker, a decision is looming regarding his current status on the league's NFI list.
"We've got to make that decision next week," said Dan Campbell, when asked about the potential of the developing signal-caller being activated. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But, he's been going here for, really, the end of three weeks now, and he's gotten just a little bit better every week, which is what you expect. Certainly he's raw, and he's got a ton of things he's got to get better at and develop. But, that's what you would expect.
"He's a rookie. He hasn't banked any reps, anything like that in real time. So, we're slowly working him in. He's starting to take some of the scout team reps."
Campbell acknowledged the efforts of the coaching staff and backup Teddy Bridgewater in Hooker's early development.
"Honestly, J.T. Barrett's done a great job with him. Bru (Mark Brunell) and J.T. working with him, but also Teddy. Teddy's been unbelievable. I could go down that whole road now. Teddy's been unbelievable for a lot of people here," Campbell expressed. "He's a huge asset for us, aside from the obvious, which is if we need him, he's a guy that can go in and win for us. But, man, he does so many things behind the scenes that I think a lot of people don't even realize. He's a valuable asset for our team."
It is difficult for Campbell to announce his decision on Hooker this week, as there are numerous heath updates still needed to be examined before making any decisions.
"I think the plan would be, we'd love to get him on so we can continue to work with him here. Because otherwise, you can't do anything," Campbell said. "But, ultimately, yeah, I don't think we can commit to that until we see what's going on here and what pieces we think are coming back."
Several players on defense could find themselves returning to action prior to the end of the season, including James Houston, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jason Cabinda and Alim McNeill.
"As you know, we just talked about (Gardner-Johnson), we know 'Mac's' (McNeill's) coming back at some point. Cabinda's still out there," said Campbell. "We've got some guys that could potentially come back. Houston, maybe at some point here. You do that, you're losing guys. And, that's what makes it hard."
