Safety Malik Hooker visits with Cowboys again, expected to sign pending physical
The Dallas Cowboys have been trying to fix the safety position for quite some time now, eons it’s seems.
Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse were signed as free agents and sixth-round pick Israel Mukuamu is converting to the position. However, according to several reports (first reported by DMN’s Michael Gehlken), free-agent safety Malik Hooker, who visited the club alongside both the free agent signings in March but was turned away for medical reasons, is returning for a second look. If everything goes according to plan four months after, it looks like he will join Kazee in the defensive backfield.
Free agent S Malik Hooker is visiting the Cowboys for a second time this offseason. And this time, the pairing should stick. As long as everything checks out physically, team is expected to sign Hooker, source said. He’d make a full 90-man roster.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 23, 2021
A former first-round pick (No. 15) of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, Hooker is known as a ball-hawking free safety, which the Cowboys desperately need. Unfortunately, several injuries, including a torn Achilles in 2020 have limited him from being the player he can be.
This second visit appears to have more traction than the first. If he is signed, the Cowboys just may have found a solution to their safety issue.
Many feel the Cowboys have already solved half of the safety puzzle with Donovan Wilson, a former sixth-round pick who played at a high level in 2020 as he amassed 71 tackles, two interceptions, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 14 games.
Others feel as if both safety spots are open competition for the Cowboys. Either way, adding Hooker to any of the competitions is a step in the right direction for a franchise that has been poor in the depth chart at the position for some time.
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