Malik Hooker’s recovery timeline remains unsettled after the Dallas Cowboys safety fractured his forearm during the second half of the team’s Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. He did not return to the game, and a possible absence of up to six weeks has been reported.
Hooker is meeting with a hand specialist to identify the affected bone and evaluate the fracture. The expected time away could vary based on those details, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said following the game that he thought Hooker had broken his forearm.
Team co-owner Stephen Jones said some fractures do not prevent players from playing, so Hooker might not miss a game.
Dallas used Caleb Downs and Jalen Thompson as its main safeties when Downs was not in the slot. P.J. Locke could fill Hooker’s role, with Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell also in line for more chances.
Clark and Bell did not play on defense in the opener. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown also exited with a hamstring injury, and no update was available. Hooker is in the final season of his contract and is set to enter free agency afterward.
