Tag: Malik Hooker

Cowboys rewarded for cautious behavior as NFL safety market crumbles

The safety position is being devalued across the NFL with teams now following a blueprint the Cowboys have been using for years. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys have been known to approach the safety position with a degree of trepidation. The team that once used a top-10 pick on a hard-hitting safety named Roy Williams, is now the team that prefers to disperse a smaller investment across multiple players. This polyamorous approach spreads the investment and the risk, and has brought on a fair share of criticism to the team in the process.

But given the state of the safety position in the league today, the Cowboys may actually be ahead of the curve. Across the NFL teams are parting ways with their high-priced safeties.

Names like Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard and Jamal Adams have all been released this offseason. Over $100 million has been shed already, per Nick Korte from Over the Cap. It marks the biggest positional purge this season by a hefty margin and illustrates the changing attitudes and volatile nature of the safety position today.

Just last year the Cowboys re-signed their homegrown safety Donovan Wilson to a three-year, $21 million deal. Modest in comparison to other megadeals across the league, the Cowboys were able to retain a top playmaker without committing too far into the future.

After Wilson, Dallas signed former Colts first-round pick Malik Hooker to an extension. He inked a similarly cap friendly three-year, $21 million deal last August. Their rehab-and-revive plan paid off with Hooker locking down the centerfielder job. They didn’t need a draft pick or big money to make it happen. They just needed patience.

Perhaps the best illustration of all was with the safety before both of them, Jayron Kearse. Kearse, an NFL journeyman, was signed as a depth piece in 2021. He proved to be an invaluable leader almost immediately, carving out an important role as Dan Quinn’s box safety and demanding a new deal in the process. Instead of falling into the same trap so many other teams have fallen into, Dallas handled Kearse conservatively. Signing him to a two-year, $10 million deal, they paid the player modestly without committing too far into the future.

By most accounts Kearse regressed in 2023, struggling in many of the same areas he thrived only two years prior. His regression could have been disastrous to Dallas if he was signed to a long-term deal. But the Cowboys only locked him in for two seasons, reducing the negative impact and giving them a clean out in 2024.

The volatility of Kearse’s play from season to season is not uncommon for the safety position. Players routinely go from Pro Bowlers to roster cuts overnight. For the safety position, the lesser the commitment is often the better commitment. Scheme changes only add to the unstable nature of the position. As coaches change, so change the scheme demands and overall fit.

It’s important to point out it’s not just the volatile performers getting the pink slip these days, but consistent top performing safeties as well. With the NFL playing more split safety schemes there’s less reliance on a single player to hold down the fort and more of a group dynamic in play. With less demanding schemes in play, lower-skilled players can adequately fill many of the needs.

Based on recent moves, the Cowboys appear to value safety play but commit resources cautiously. Since 2016, they’ve only drafted one safety (Israel Mukuamu, sixth round, 2021) and when they sign safeties, they typically keep the commitment at two to three seasons.

Dallas’ approach to the safety position allows them to stay nimble and make adjustments as needed. It’s a blueprint the rest of the NFL seems to be copying and a sign of the times in the secondary.

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Cowboys safeties underachieved, but should rebound in 2024

The Cowboys safety group appeared to regress in 2023 but there’s reason to believe the volatile position will bounce back in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys went into the 2023 season with what appeared to be their best safety group in over a decade. Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker and Jayron Kease formed a versatile and proven trio in Dallas the season prior. It seemed after years of neglect the Cowboys finally had assets on the backend and not liabilities.

But like what has happened many times before in Dallas, performance at the position proved unstable, and the Cowboys trio fell short of their expectations. It’s something the franchise has seen before and likely a big reason why they’ve made such a half-hearted effort in filling it over the years.

In the past they saw players like Ken Hamlin and Gerald Sensabaugh follow up good years with bad years. Both played well enough to earn new contracts in Dallas (Hamlin even went to the Pro Bowl in 2007) and both, soon after, fell flat. It cultivated a distrust in the position and as a result cursed it to a revolving door of personnel.

Kearse, a free agent in March, is not expected to be back with the club in 2024. 2023 was his worst season in Dallas as he struggled in both phases of the game, frequently committing back-breaking penalties along the way. It was the polar opposite of his 2021 season when he established himself as one of Dan Quinn’s most versatile weapons on the defense.

Wilson was already known as a high variance player. He takes big swings and often gets big-swing results. He has good games and bad games but last season there appeared to be a little more bad than good.

Hooker was the toughest evaluation. As the Cowboys’ primary free safety, Hooker plays on the backend most of the day. His evaluation requires All-22 copy since he’s not even on the screen in a typical broadcast.

Hooker’s value was as a deterrent. The All-22 showed he was often in good position to make passers look elsewhere and the numbers back it up. In 16 games, he was only targeted 23 times. That’s the lowest number of targets since he joined the Cowboys. The completion percentage against was just 56.5% which is also his lowest since joining Dallas.

Yet Hooker’s yards/target and passer rating allowed, both went up and became his worst since joining the Cowboys.  Hooker was the only Dallas safety to grade in PFF’s top-50, but he wasn’t as impactful as he’d been the season before.

This high variance play isn’t unique to the Cowboys. Since defensive coordinators change, coverage schemes change. And since coverages change, players change. It’s not uncommon to see a one-time Pro Bowl safety bounce around the league year after year. The position itself is volatile and the demands are ever-changing.

Cowboys-Commanders final injury report for Week 18: Illness on Dallas side, IR a plenty for Washington

Washington will be without four players while Dallas has seven designated as questionable ahead of the final matchup of the 2023 regular season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The final regular season game is less than 48 hours away now, and the Dallas Cowboys are set to fly into the Washington Metro area, better known as the DMV. The team will be greeted by bad weather on Saturday that’s expected to clear out before the game, but the winter vibe hit the Cowboys before they left Texas.

Five players are on the injury report due to illness, including starting center Tyler Biadasz and starting safety Malik Hooker. They are two of seven questionable Cowboys, although none have been ruled out. Dallas will look to clinch their second NFC East championship in three years on Sunday when they take on a Washington club that will be without several key players.

The Commanders placed three players on injured reserve this week, including slot corner Kendall Fuller. DT Johnathan Allen was also ruled out of the contest as both starters are dealing with knee injuries. Washington also has three additional players marked as questionable.

Here’s a look at the week of practice and game designations for all parties entering the Week 18 tilt.

Week 15 Final Injury Report: Cowboys rule out Hankins, Bills Hyde while illness threatens others

A look at the final roll call of the walking wounded ahead of Sunday’s tilt between two of the best from their respective conferences. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys knew they were going to be without their key run stopper when they travel in Week 15. Friday’s game designations just made it official. The Cowboys will be without defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. That leaves them a bit shorthanded in trying to stop the Bills ground attack, from an offense that appears to be really healthy.

Despite having three key members on this week’s injury report, none of them received a game designation and that includes quarterback Josh Allen who is nursing a right shoulder injury. Meanwhile the Bills will be without two of their own key defenders while also having a third questionable. Dallas has two members of their starting secondary questionable as both Stephon Gilmore (illness) and safety Malik Hooker (ankle) received the designation.

Gilmore is one of four Cowboys dealing with a sickness that started going through the team last week and led to Micah Parsons receiving a late-week designation before koickoff against Philly. He played through that and carries no designation itno this game. For a full accounting of all of the players listed with nicks, bruises, coughs or sniffles throughout the week, check out the countdown below.

Cowboys make late add to injury report; Malik Hooker says he’ll ‘absolutely’ go

From @ToddBrock24f7: Hooker was added to the report with an unspecified illness but is expected to play. The safety himself confirmed it with a famous GIF.

Cowboys safety Malik Hooker was a very late add to the team’s Week 1 injury report, showing up Saturday afternoon with an unspecified illness designation that left him classified as questionable to play.

On the surface, that news would be quite concerning, considering that fellow safety Donovan Wilson is already listed as doubtful for the season opener against the Giants.

Nevertheless, the team called the move “procedural,” stating that Hooker, the seventh-year veteran, was still expected to go versus the divisional rivals from New York.

Hooker himself made a more ironclad promise to Cowboys fans via social media.

The GIF, of course, comes from Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, when Bulls superstar Michael Jordan played through a nasty bout of… something… to score 38 points in 44 minutes, including the tie-breaking three-pointer in the waning seconds. His heroic performance in the win has gone down in history as “The Flu Game,” although it’s been revealed recently that it was more likely a case of food poisoning.

Either way, it’s become the go-to inspiration for every athlete who’s feeling under the weather on gameday yet hopes to soldier on and help deliver a win anyway.

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Hooker left no doubt about the meaning of his post shortly thereafter.

“Absolutely” was his one-word response to Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken’s post in which Gehlken offered, “Have a feeling we’ll see Cowboys S Malik Hooker on Sunday night…”

In a bit of fortuitous scheduling, the Cowboys’ primetime Sunday night kickoff even gives MH several extra hours to rest up and channel his inner MJ.

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Malik Hooker signs three-year extension with Cowboys

Hooker will be putting down roots in Dallas. #GoBucks

Former Ohio State safety is finding a home in Dallas.

After struggling with injuries in Indianapolis, the team he was drafted by in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, Hooker made his way to Dallas in 2021 where he has been healthy and able to show what he can do on the field of play.

As a result, the Cowboys and Hooker have agreed on a three-year extension worth $24 million, with $8 million of it coming via a signing bonus as part of $16.5 million guaranteed. The news was first reported by NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Hooker has been in the NFL for six seasons and had his best year yet on the field during the 2022-2023 campaign. He tallied 62 tackles, three interceptions, and scored the first touchdown of his career against his former team, the Colts last season.

Hooker flashed on the scene at Ohio State in 2016 where he came out of nowhere to be a ball hawk and arguably one of the best safeties in the country. He had a whopping seven interceptions that year and had a knack for making plays that made him become a coveted player for NFL coaches and executives.

Now, Hooker can concentrate on continuing to be an integral part of the Dallas defense.

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Cowboys, safety Malik Hooker agree to 3-year extension

From @ToddBrock24f7: The former 1st-round draft pick has been called the most underrated player the Cowboys have; this deal will bind him to Dallas through 2026.

Cowboys safety Malik Hooker is generally considered one of the true unsung heroes of the Dallas defense. Just this week, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn called the 15th player taken in 2017’s draft one of the most improved players in his unit for 2023. And back in May, PFF named Hooker the most underrated player on the entire roster.

Unsung, under the radar, and underrated, maybe. But underpaid? Not anymore.

Hooker is signing a three-year extension worth up to $24 million, according to a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter on Friday afternoon. The finalized deal is not yet complete, says Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, but “that could change soon.”

The 27-year-old Ohio State product played the second-most snaps of his career last season and logged personal bests in interceptions and tackles. And he led all the league’s safeties in yards allowed per coverage snap.

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Hooker battled injuries over his first four seasons in Indianapolis, contributing to the Colts’ decision to let him leave. He’s appeared in 34 out of 37 games (playoffs included) since joining the Cowboys, though, and is one-third of the team’s formidable three-headed monster at safety, along with Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse.

Once the contract is made official, it will bind Hooker to the Cowboys through the 2026 season.

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Cowboys safety Malik Hooker’s best play may be ahead of him

Hooker is already coming off a career campaign in many ways but could be in store for an even bigger Year 3 with the Cowboys. | From @ReidDHanson

By most accounts, Malik Hooker had an impressive season for the Cowboys in 2022. The 27-year-old veteran served as Dallas’ primary free safety, logging 861 defensive snaps (the second-most of his career) and even earning Pro Football Focus’ award as the Cowboys most underrated player of the season.

Building off his 2021 season that was part rehab and part job interview, Hooker became a big part of the Cowboys secondary and logged career highs in both interceptions (tied 2017) and tackles (44 solo/62 combined). He led the NFL (among safeties) by allowing just 0.19 yards per coverage snap and was often the last line of defense.

For as impressive as Hooker was for the Cowboys in 2022, he may be even better in 2023.

Not long ago, Hooker was considered one of the best coverage safety prospects to enter the draft. The former Ohio State free safety had range and ball skills that couldn’t be taught. He had the ability to tip the balance of a game in an instant and made things extremely difficult for passers when he was roaming the middle.

The former first-round pick of the Colts saw his career derailed by injury after injury. Before he even got to his first training camp he had hip and hernia surgery. A shoulder injury, torn ACL, torn MCL and torn meniscus followed in coming seasons, allowing him to link up with Dallas in 2021.

Players generally need time after they recover from injury before they can regain form. Getting a clean bill of health is only part of it. They need space in between injuries to be right mentally and physically (see also: Michael Gallup 2022).

For Hooker, every time he seemed to gain traction in a comeback bid, a new injury would occur, stopping his progress and bouncing him back to square one.

“That list of injuries, a lot of guys, they don’t come back from that,” Hooker said last season. “I look at it as I don’t have anything else can be harmed in that way. I’ve done all my bad karma or whatever you want to call it. My bad juju. I got it all out so now I just go out there with a clean mind and clean heart.”

Each season of Hooker’s career, he’s been less than a year removed from something significant. He’s never been able to reach his ceiling because he’s never been able to string together two seasons of continued health (2018-19 were close).

But coming off a mostly-healthy 2022 season and lined up to play a significant role as FS again in 2023, Hooker may finally get the continuity he needs to reach his real potential.

With safeties Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson on the roster as well, Dallas’ defensive coordinator, Dan Quinn, can use Hooker where he’s at his best (deep middle) and doesn’t have to subject him to the wear and tear of box play. This allows Quinn to preserve one of his most valuable and irreplaceable assets.

As discussed previously in the offseason, the Cowboys aren’t exactly rich in FS depth. No one has the range or track record of Hooker, and both Kearse and Wilson are best in safety roles closer to the line of scrimmage (although they are perfectly capable in split safety role).

Hooker isn’t just important to the Cowboys’ defense, since he enables them to play single-high safety comfortably, but he’s in position to have another career season.

With Stephon Gilmore and Trevon Diggs working the boundary at CB, windows are going to be tight and opportunities will be had.

Hooker’s interception numbers in the NFL may not be as jaw-dropping as Diggs’ but the ball-skills he’s shown indicate he’s more than capable of being a league leader and his 2016 numbers at Ohio State (7 INTs) are perfectly repeatable if he can just stay healthy.

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Depth at free safety remains a Cowboys concern in 2023

The Cowboys have a deep roster of safeties but there should be concern for having no obvious replacement to Malik Hooker at free safety, says @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys not only have one of the best safety groups in the division, but also arguably one of the best in the NFL. The trio of Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse is diverse and talented.

They can slow down offenses a number of different ways and because of their versatility in nickel packages, they represent one of the biggest advantages the Cowboys have over their opponents in 2023. They can hit, zone, man-up, and even crash the backfield. One man’s weakness is another man’s strength in this safety trio.

Behind the top three sits a pair of tantalizing prospects with untapped upsides. Markquese Bell (24) and Israel Mukuamu (23) offer the kind of depth most teams would kill for. Should a starter fall, both appear up the task.

Bell’s game fits the box-safety prototype to a tee. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds he’s a physical-enough presence to back up the 6-foot-4, 215 pound Kearse.

Mukuamu looks more like the man-coverage specialist. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound converted CB, played in the nickel last postseason. He showed he can cover slot WRs as well as TEs. Mukuamu doesn’t seamlessly replace any one of the top-3, but he’s uniquely talented and appears to be an option at a variety of places on the Dallas defense. .

But there are concerns.

For as strong as this Cowboys position group looks as a whole, they are surprisingly shallow at free safety. After Hooker, there isn’t a clear cut option to play the centerfield role on the Cowboys defense. Wilson might slide back out of necessity, but he’s best used as a chess piece in and around the box.

Despite many popular statements to contrary, the free safety position is alive and well in the NFL. Even with the resurgence of open middle-of-the-field looks (2-high safety), single-high safety is a heavily relied upon scheme that often dominates third downs. Having a rangy centerfielder is important because the stakes are high.

It’s possible players like Wilson, Mukuamu or even Kelvin Joseph could be up to the task but there’s no clear answer on the depth chart.

Kearse may be the leader of the group and Wilson may be the splash-play machine, but Hooker is the most irreplaceable.

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How NFC East teams rank at the safety position

The NFC East is expected to be competitive once again, but are the safeties on each team on similar plateaus? | From @cdpiglet

The NFC East had three teams make the playoffs last season, including the Philadelphia Eagles who represented the conference in the Super Bowl. A far cry from the division once dubbed the NFC Least, due to its inability to produce a relevant contender. This group appears to be the best combination of teams in the NFC.  So what will make the difference in who emerges as the champion for 2023?

This is a breakdown of each team and how they rank position by position. The series begins with the safeties.

Is the Cowboys’ three-headed approach worthy top spot? Will the loss of Bobby McCain to the New York Giants doom the Commanders at the position? Can Xavier McKinney bounce back from a poor third season? Will the loss of both starters, including the interception leader in the league, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, set the Eagles back at all? Here is a look at how the safety rooms match up in the NFC East.