Hendon Hooker has worked his way back onto the Detroit Lions’ active roster.

He was picked by the Lions in the third round (pick 68) of the 2023 NFL Draft but has yet to see the field for them. Of course, Jared Goff remains the starter right now, and Hooker has been getting back into full playing shape since tearing his ACL in Tennessee’s game against South Carolina last November.

To make way on the roster, Riley Patterson was waived by the Lions, a fellow graduate from the state of Tennessee (Memphis).

#Lions have waived K Riley Patterson and activated QB Hendon Hooker from Reserve/NFI

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 19, 2023

Hooker’s collegiate career is well-documented for good reason. He began as a highly-touted recruit at Virginia Tech, but injuries and inconsistent play led to him rotating in and out of the starting role in Blacksburg for three years. Following the 2020 season, Hooker joined Josh Heupel at Tennessee to potentially spearhead that potent offensive attack.

He originally lost the job to Joe Milton, but Hooker ran away with the starting role roughly midway through the 2021 campaign. After throwing for 2,945 yards and 31 TDs to just 3 INTs that year, Hooker followed it up with a campaign of 3,135 yards and 27 TDs in which he tossed only a pair of picks.

He led one of the most efficient offenses in the nation in 2022, and the Vols rose to their first top 5 ranking since 2005. Hooker remained in contention for the Heisman Trophy up until his season-ending knee injury.