Malik Hooker Signing With Cowboys is 'Pretty Official,' Says Jerry Jones
OXNARD, Calif. - We knew on Friday that the Dallas Cowboys were bringing to the Oxnard training camp campus free-agent safety Malik Hooker, and that a contract agreed was likely forged, at least in broad terms, pending his five days in COVID protocol, a window that should open up Wednesday.
So, it's pretty much done, right?
"Well, I think so,'' team owner Jerry Jones told G-Bag Nation on 105.3 The Fan on Monday. "Of course. As a matter of a fact, it's pretty official what you're hearing. He's on campus and can't join (the team yet) because he's got to go through the protocol, and do those kinds of things.
"But we feel great about having him join the team."
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The organization has yet to make an official announcement on whether Hooker will be a Cowboy, and as always, Jones himself allows for what he might call "ambiguity'' so things can be what he might call "fungible.''
But yes, Hooker - who originally met with the Cowboys last spring, with Dallas opting to sign veteran Damontae Kazee instead - should be fine physically (rehabbing from an Achilles tear) and should compete for a starting job in the secondary eventually.
The safety situation right now has been termed "a mess,'' and a healthy Hooker could fix some of that. The former first-round star from Ohio State spent the first four years of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played in 36 games, amassing 124 tackles, seven interceptions and 11 pass deflections over that time - but also piling up unfortunate injuries.
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