VFL quarterbacks had a fun time showing out over the weekend, the first full 2024 weekend of fall football consisting of NFL exhibition games. The weekend signaled that the start of college and NFL seasons are right around the corner with the Vols taking the field at Neyland in their season opener in just under three weeks.
While Tennessee fans await the Vols kicking off the season against UTC, this is a fun time to watch several VFL’s making the highlight films for their performances in NFL exhibition games.
Leading the VFL weekend NFL highlight film was none other than the Vols 2023 starting quarterback Joe Milton III. Milton got in a solid quarter of work with the New England Patriots and didn’t disappoint following the fall camp hype he generated.
His Bazooka Joe nickname has followed him from the SEC to the NFL and he showed it off against the Carolina Panthers. Milton went 4-6 for 54 yards and 1 TD. Milton ran about 30 yards on a scramble weaving and reversing field to pick up 12 yards and a first down that excited the Patriot fans. He finished the night with a QB rating of 134.7 which was tops for the QB’s in the game.
Milton was the most impressive of the Patriot QB’s in the exhibition game but time will tell if his immense physical talent will make him a QB to be reckoned with in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how Patriots head coach, VFL Jerod Mayo, and staff help Milton to refine his game and become a legit NFL starter talent for New England.
It was great to see VFL Hendon Hooker make his return to action from his ACL injury that kept him out for the entire 2023 season in Detroit. However, his return was short lived due to a hard collision that left him with a reported concussion. He was apparently scheduled to play all or most of the second half against the Giants before an impressive scramble resulted in Hooker leaving the game.
Hooker was 5-9 passing for 36 yards while running 4 times for 34 yards. There is currently no timeline for Hooker’s return and Detroit is reportedly considering bringing in another quarterback in the event Hooker cannot return in the foreseeable future. A very unfortunate outcome for Hooker’s first football game action since November 2022 with the Vols.
In Nashville, VFL Josh Dobbs made his debut with his new team, San Francisco 49ers, and took his team to pay dirt with a highlight TD. Dobbs was his normal acrobatic self on the touchdown run with a 6-yard run where he went airborne and flipped into the end zone. Dobbs was 14-20 for 146 yards and one interception. The interception was on a Hail Mary pass at the end of the exhibition with the Titans. Dobbs’ play in the exhibition game most likely strengthened his case to be the backup quarterback to starter Brock Purdy.
Other VFL’s like Jaylen Wright had notable plays during the NFL exhibition weekend but the VFL quarterbacks received most of the accolades for their performances. I’m sure all Vol fans are pulling for Hendon Hooker to make a full recovery and safe return to action for the Lions soon.
