DALLAS — Malik Hooker hasn't played a down of football since Sept. 20, 2020. It seems like a lifetime ago with the plot twists the world has revealed in that span.
The former Indianapolis Colts 2017 first-round pick didn't earn that second contract with his original draft team. The Colts did not pick up Hooker's fifth-year option, and he floated away into the sea of free agency this spring.
With questions unanswered in the Dallas Cowboys' secondary, the NFC East club threw out a life preserver to Hooker on July 27, after the club was nearly a week into training camp in Oxnard, California.
Working his way back from the Achilles tear that limited him to two games last year, Hooker longs to get back into the rhythm of football.
"I’ve been out for a year so just kind of getting the feeling of running through the tunnel, hearing all the fans back obviously," Hooker said. "Last year was the first time and I was hurt, I haven’t got that feeling, that uproar of the fans, getting back into that."
Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Colts, limited capacity to 2,500 fans for the home opener in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, the game Hooker injured his Achilles.
Cowboys secondary coach and passing game coordinator Joe Whitt says that Hooker has been involved in the mental side of the game, even though he is working his way back into practice.
"From a communication standpoint, he's been on top of it," said Whitt. "He played in Indy. I worked with and coached [former Colts cornerbacks coach] Jon Gannon, who coached him in Indianapolis. So, he has some common ground with the language that I use and Gannon's language in Indianapolis. So, that has bridged the gap a little bit."
In addition to getting back to the roar of the crowd, Hooker looks forward to being a part of a locker room again.
Said Hooker: "Once you have these injuries where you’re out for a year straight, no ball, [not] being around the guys, just the camaraderie of football, that’s stuff that guys tend to miss more than just getting back on the field and stuff like that."
According to Hooker, the coaching staff has not ruled out the possibility he could make his Cowboys debut against the Houston Texans on Aug. 21 at AT&T Stadium. However, he understands there are still some hurdles he has to clear before getting out on the field, even in an exhibition contest.
"They did a great job of laying out how they were going to work me into things, so, I’m just going to stick with the plan they have," said Hooker. "It’s been going obviously positive so far. Like I said, I haven’t had any setbacks or nothing like that so I’m just going to keep following the game plan they keep setting forward. It’s paying off so far."
The Cowboys also have Donovan Wilson, Darian Thompson, Steven Parker, Jayron Kearse, Tyler Coyle, and Damontae Kazee competing as safeties.
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