Hendon Hooker appears to have done enough to stick with the Tennessee Titans, landing on the team’s 53-man roster after a preseason push that forced him to make every snap count. The former Tennessee quarterback also edged out former Kentucky standout and second-round pick Will Levis in a crowded quarterback room.
Hooker had one last chance to make his case against the Chicago Bears in the preseason, and he took advantage of it. He played clean football and added one eye-catching run that brought back plenty of memories for Vols fans who watched him shine in Knoxville.
Hooker’s path back to this point has been anything but straightforward. A third-round pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft, he spent two seasons as a backup there before being waived in 2025. From there, he bounced to the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets practice squads last season.
There was real buzz that Hooker might be on the outside looking in again, but instead he has kept his NFL career alive with a roster spot in Tennessee. His career hasn’t followed the route many expected, but this move gives him another shot to keep it going.
So far, Hooker has played in three NFL games and thrown just nine passes, all of them coming in 2024 with the Lions while backing up Jared Goff. He still has not thrown his first official NFL touchdown.
Now, he gets a chance to reboot things in the state where he became a star. With plenty of Tennessee fans also pulling for the Titans, Hooker should have no shortage of support as he tries to climb the depth chart behind Cam Ward and Mitchell Trubisky.
In Other News...
Another Former Tennessee Defender Just Got Caught In NFL Roster Crunch
The NFL roster squeeze reached another former Tennessee defender this week, with Matthew Butler among the players let go as teams trimmed down ahead of the season deadline. Butler, who lined up on the defensive line for the Volunteers, had been with the Miami Dolphins before his release and now finds himself back on the market as clubs finalize their openings.
Butler joins a growing list of recent Vols to hit the same wall, alongside former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar and tight end McCallan Castles, who were also cut by their teams. For Butler, the next step is simple but far from easy: catch on with another NFL opportunity and keep his career moving toward the 2026 season. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Dobbs Just Added To Tennessee's Quarterback Pride Story
Josh Dobbs keeps finding ways to stay in the mix at the pro level, and his latest outing for the Detroit Lions only adds to the long line of Tennessee quarterbacks making noise in the NFL. The former Vol was efficient, completing 15 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the kind of showing that reinforces why teams keep trusting him in backup conversations.
For Tennessee fans, it also fits into a broader theme that has been building for a while. Joe Milton III, Hendon Hooker and Joey Aguilar are all in the hunt for backup jobs around the league, giving the program a steady stream of quarterbacks with real NFL relevance. Dobbs is now in position to back up Jared Goff, and it is another reminder that the Vols quarterback pipeline keeps reaching the league in meaningful ways. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees New Defensive Front Has A Camp Name Fans Need To Know
Jim Knowles is putting his stamp on Tennessee football quickly, and part of that has been building a new look along the defensive front with transfer tackle Xavier Gilliam right in the middle of it. Gilliam followed Knowles from Penn State and has already drawn strong reviews throughout spring and fall camp, with coaches and teammates noticing both his play and the way he carries himself as the Vols shape their identity for the coming season.
For Tennessee, that matters because Knowles is arriving with fresh expectations and a roster in transition, and the defensive front will be one of the clearest indicators of how fast the new system takes hold. Gilliams emergence has added some early momentum to that process, and the attention he has earned suggests there may be more to this front than just a schematic change as camp gives way to game prep. [Read more 🡒]