Malik Hooker’s recovery outlook is still being evaluated after the Dallas Cowboys safety fractured his forearm in the second half of the team’s Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. He did not return, and the timetable for his recovery has not been set, though the absence could last as long as six weeks.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Hooker is meeting with a hand specialist. The bone involved and the type of break will help determine the length of his recovery, since some fractures heal faster than others. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said after the game that he thought Hooker had broken his forearm.
Team co-owner Stephen Jones said some breaks can be played through, so Hooker might not miss a game.
Caleb Downs and Jalen Thompson handled the main safety duties in Week 1 when Downs was not in the slot. P.J. Locke could fill Hooker’s spot, with Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell also candidates for more playing time.
Neither Clark nor Bell played a defensive snap in the opener. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown also left with a hamstring injury, with no condition update provided. Hooker is scheduled to reach free agency after this season, the final year of his contract, and his longer-term place in Dallas remains unsettled.
