The Pittsburgh Steelers could be looking to gain some intel and a competitive advantage over the Detroit Lions ahead of their Week 16 matchup.
The day after their 28-15 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh worked out quarterback Hendon Hooker among a host of other players at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Hooker was a second-round pick by the Lions back in 2023, and perhaps he could provide some insight on his former team to the Steelers should he sign with the team in the coming days.
Hooker’s Lions Career
Following a six-year collegiate career split between Virginia Tech and Tennessee, Hooker arrived in Detroit as the potential heir apparent to Jared Goff.
He was recovering from a torn ACL at the time of the draft, however, and he did not play during his rookie season after being activated from the non-football injury list in December 2023.
Hooker went on to play in three contests during his sophomore campaign in 2024, throwing for 62 yards on nine attempts, but he was let go by the Lions at final roster cuts this past August.
He caught on with the Carolina Panthers and signed to their practice squad, but he was released at the beginning of November.
How Hooker Could Help Steelers
Though Hooker was not on Detroit’s roster at all this current season and had limited experience learning under new offensive coordinator John Morton, who took over for Ben Johnson after he was hired by the Chicago Bears to be their new head coach, he still could be of some help to the Steelers.
Hooker played under Dan Campbell throughout his entire stint with the Lions, and thus he could still be a valuable resource for Pittsburgh if it does choose to bring him in or already asked him for some thoughts about Detroit as the Steelers prepare to take them on this weekend.
He was a Day 2 pick for a reason just two years ago, too, so perhaps Pittsburgh could look into a potential long-term partnership with Hooker as a backup option somewhere down the line.
The Steelers have two quarterbacks under contract for the 2026 campaign at the moment in Mason Rudolph and rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard, but the organization will certainly look to bring in another signal caller or two during the upcoming offseason.
We’ll see if Pittsburgh circles back around and adds Hooker in the immediate future, as the team doesn’t currently have a quarterback on its practice squad, but he’s a name that could pop back up in the offseason as well.
