Former Indianapolis Colts safety Malik Hooker is expected to sign a contract with the Dallas Cowboys, pending a physical, per Michael Hehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
Hooker visited the Cowboys for the second time this offseason on Friday. He did so earlier in the offseason during March but no deal came to fruition. If Hooker passes his physical, though, he should be joining a new team ahead of training camp.
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
Hooker was the first draft pick in the Chris Ballard era. There were high hopes when he started his rookie season out with three interceptions in seven games before tearing his ACL against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Since then, Hooker struggled to stay healthy on a consistent basis, including a torn Achilles in Week 3 of the 2020 season. That essentially sealed the ending for Hooker and the team that drafted him in 2017.
Despite his talent, Hooker struggled to stay healthy and his little impact against the run forced the Colts to look at a prospect like Julian Blackmon, who had a strong rookie campaign.
Hooker recorded seven interceptions in 36 games (35 starts) with the Colts since he was selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. On top of that, he has just one tackle for loss in his career.
As the Colts look to the future with Blackmon and Khari Willis, it seems Hooker will be getting another shot to revive his career in Dallas.
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