Former Lions QB Released Just Months After Joining New Team
The Detroit Lions made quarterback changes going into the 2025-26 season, because even though they have a solid franchise signal-caller in Jared Goff, his backups were in question. Now, Goff’s backup quarterback is Kyle Allen, so if Goff goes down, Allen is really the only player on the active roster who would step in.
But, at one point, the Lions had hope for readying a different backup quarterback for Goff. That was Hendon Hooker, their 2023 third-round draft pick. Detroit released Hooker on August 25 of this year, just weeks before the start of the regular season. It was an expected announcement at the time, although a disappointing one, since when the Lions picked him up in the draft, he was promising. In Tennessee, he threw for 6,080 yards, 58 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 68.8% of his passes, according to Sports Reference research. But, before letting him walk, Lions coach Dan Campbell even told reporters he felt Hooker could use a change of scenery, suggesting the outcome that became reality.
“Hooker lost the preseason battle for the backup quarterback job to veteran Kyle Allen, who outplayed Hooker in the Lions’ four preseason games and was clearly the better choice by the conclusion of their preparatory period,” Nick Shook of the NFL’s site stated in a feature at the time.
Ex-Lions Quarterback Looking for a New Home
Hooker was quickly signed by the Carolina Panthers during the offseason and had been serving on their practice squad. But, that all ended on Tuesday, November 4. Amid the drama of trades happening before the NFL’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. Eastern time, the Panthers quietly released Hooker.
“Hooker’s departure seemed inevitable once the Panthers signed Mike White to their practice squad two weeks ago, and then, earlier this week, signed him to the active roster,” Charean Williams NBC Sports notes. “Hooker became the odd man out as the fourth quarterback once Bryce Young was fully healed.”
In other Panthers moves, the team released tackle Michael Tarquin and linebacker Carlos Basham from the practice squad, and they signed running back DeeJay Dallas and safety Israel Mukuamu to the practice squad. They also signed guard Ja’Tyre Carter as a practice squad exception.
Ex-Lions Signal-Caller’s Release Has to Do With Making Room for New Players
As Anthony Rizzuti of the USA Today’s Panthers Wire notes, the moves meant Hooker had to go. “To make room for Dallas, Mukuamu and Carter, the Panthers released quarterback Hendon Hooker, offensive tackle Michael Tarquin and outside linebacker Carlos ‘Boogie’ Basham,” Rizzuti noted in a Tuesday, November 4 piece.
The Detroit Lions also made a move on Tuesday, although it wasn’t a flashy trade move. The team signed Jack Conley to their practice squad, according to Tom Pelissero.
Conley is a rookie guard from Boston College and was most recently with the New England Patriots. Now, he’ll add depth to the Detroit Lions roster following Christian Mahogany going down with a fractured ankle in Week 9. Now, the Detroit Lions will most likely call up Trystan Colon or Kingsley Eguakun to their active roster before their Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, November 9.
Former Buccaneers First Round Bust Traded to Bears
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had 4 long years to look at what they had in edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, their 2021 first round pick.
At the end of that stretch, the prevailing sentiment was something along the lines of: “Nah, we’re good.”
That’s how Tryon-Shoyinka ended up with the Cleveland Browns this offseason on a 1-year, $4.755 free agent contract.
It’s also how Tryon-Shoyinka ended up with the Chicago Bears just hours ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 4, sent away along with a 2026 seventh round pick in exchange for a 2026 sixth round pick.
“New Bears EDGE Joe Tryon–Shoyinka hasn’t played much for the Browns this year, but he has a 73.5 PFF grade and has 29.2% pass-rush win rate,” NFL draft analyst Jacob Infante wrote on his official X account. “It’s off a small sample size, but that win rate is the 4th-best in the NFL. Not a splash but depth for a cheap cost.”
The Buccaneers selected Tryon-Shoyinka with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
“Browns are sending DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a sixth-round pick, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account. “Chicago lost DE Dayo Odeyingbo to a season-ending Achilles injury on Sunday, and now trade for a potential replacement two days later.”
Buccaneers Didn’t Try to Bring Back Tryon-Shoyinka
It spoke to exactly how the Buccaneers viewed Tryon-Shoyinka at the end of his 4 seasons when they didn’t lift a finger to sign him despite being in quite desperate need of help at edge rusher.
“Sources: The #Browns are signing OLB Joe Tryon–Shoyinka to a 1-year, $4.75M deal. The former 1st-round pick recorded 15 sacks in four seasons with the #Bucs,” FOX Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account on March 11.
The Buccaneers declined the fifth-year option on Tryon-Shoyinka in May 2024 and let him play out the final season of his 4-year, $11.1 million rookie contract.
“As expected, Bucs will not be exercising the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round pick OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman posted on X. “Would have been $13.2 million for 2025. He has totaled 13 sacks in three seasons.”
Tryon-Shoyinka was bad in his final year with the Buccaneers with a career low 2.0 sacks, and he’s been just as bad with the Browns.
“Joe Tryon–Shoyinka in eight games with Browns: zero sacks, zero tackles for loss, one QB hit, nine tackles,” Auman wrote on November 4.
One of the problems with Tryon-Shoyinka throughout his career has been his lack of versatility. If he wasn’t rushing the passer, he wasn’t much good to the defense. And most of the time, he wasn’t very good at that, even.
NFL Draft Hasn’t Been Kind to Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have tried desperately to fill out their defensive front in the NFL draft in recent years, and with varied results.
Tampa Bay used their first pick in three consecutive drafts to add edge rushers or interior defensive linemen with busts in Tryon-Shoyinka in 2021 and defensive end Logan Hall in 2022 followed by interior defensive lineman Calijah Kancey at No. 19 overall in 2023.
Out of that bunch, only Kancey looks like he’ll eventually pay off after he led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks in 2024. but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2025 regular season.
