What a healthy Malik Hooker means for the Cowboys defense in 2022
The Dallas Cowboys have begun their free agency strategy as they have done over the past decade: Sign Tier 2-3 free agents that have low-risk, but the decent potential to make an impact. A lot of the signings aren't going to move the needle for Cowboys fans, but that's OK as long as they perform […]
The Dallas Cowboys have begun their free agency strategy as they have done over the past decade: Sign Tier 2-3 free agents that have low-risk, but the decent potential to make an impact.
A lot of the signings aren't going to move the needle for Cowboys fans, but that's OK as long as they perform on the field. However, a signing Cowboys fans can at least get excited about is the two-year, $8 million deal for safety Malik Hooker.
This is the perfect example of the low-risk, high-reward signing that can pay dividends for the Cowboys' defense.
Keep in mind, Hooker is only 25-years-old (turns 26 on April 2) so he is entering his prime years and still has room to grow. Yes, his past injuries have been concerning, but he showed no signs of slowing down during the 2021 season. Hooker played in a career-high 15 games last year, which is encouraging and hopefully he'll play in even more games in 2022.
Even though he was part of a rotation, he still notched 44 tackles and one interception, which proved to the front office he can be even better with more snaps.
Hooker's extension was overshadowed by Amari Cooper's trade, La'el Collins's possible release, and Michael Gallup's long-term deal.
Hooker can be a top-10 safety in the league, which explains the Colts' reasoning for selecting him with the 15th overall pick in 2017. He looks to have put his Achilles injury he suffered in 2020 behind him as he looks to become the new safety in Dallas.
Dan Quinn seems to be making his stance on the guys he wants back to build on their defensive success. Which is great considering everything that happened in 2021.
Micah Parsons is the franchise and DeMarcus Lawrence signed an extension to create room to sign more players. These two, along with Hooker, can give the defense an edginess the team sorely needs after recent releases and cuts.
If Hooker remains healthy, he will be an integral part of what Quinn and his staff want to build.
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