Flash: The Lions have activated their excellent QB, and cuts starting kicker..

The Detroit Lions activated rookie quarterback Hendon Hooker Tuesday, cut kicker Riley Patterson in favor of Michael Badgley

Hendon Hooker, a rookie quarterback, was reinstated by the Detroit Lions off injured reserve to the active roster, the team said on X. After rupturing his ACL late in the 2022 football season while playing for Tennessee, Hooker has been on injured reserve the entire season.

The Lions will allow Hooker to practice in the last few weeks of the season by activating him. Although Hooker was regarded by many as one of the top five quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft, injuries caused him to drop to the third round before Detroit selected him. The 25-year-old quarterback had a tremendous season with the Vols, finishing with 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns on 69.6% of his passes, along with two interceptions.

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Although it’s unknown if the Lions intended to select Hooker or saw him as their quarterback of the future, they are content with Jared Goff as their starter. The last 18 months have seen Goff play well for the Lions, and both coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes are happy with the outcome. Goff has guided the Lions to a 10-4 record so far this season, giving them a strong chance to win the NFC North for the first time ever. With 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, he has completed 3,727 yards of throws on 67.1% of his attempts.

The Lions made another move Tuesday, cutting kicker Riley Patterson. Though Patterson was 15-17 on field goal attempts and 35-37 on extra point attempts, Detroit decided they wanted to go in another direction. Patterson was inactive in the Lions win over the Bears, with Michael Badgley replacing him. Badgley will remain the Lions kicker going forward.