Dallas Cowboys Expected To Sign Former Ohio State Safety Malik Hooker

The former first-round pick missed all but two games last season with a torn Achilles.

According to multiple reports, the Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of signing former Ohio State safety Malik Hooker, assuming he passes a physical during his visit on Friday.

Free agent S Malik Hooker is visiting the Cowboys for a second time this offseason. And this time, the pairing should stick. As long as everything checks out physically, team is expected to sign Hooker, source said. He’d make a full 90-man roster.

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 23, 2021

The #Cowboys and former first-round pick Malik Hooker have visited twice and he provides help at a position of need. Assuming all goes well, he’ll join Dallas with a chance to kick-start his career.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 23, 2021

The 6-foot-1 and 214-pound Hooker was a first-round pick (No. 15 overall) of the Indianapolis Colts in the 2017 NFL Draft and recorded 124 tackles and seven interceptions in four seasons with franchise. He dealt with numerous injuries, though, as a torn ACL and MCL cut short his rookie campaign while a torn Achilles limited him to just two games last fall.

The Colts did not exercise Hooker’s fifth-year option heading into last season, making him a free agent. In addition to the Cowboys, he also visited the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.

A former three-star prospect from New Castle, Pa., Hooker was a unanimous All-American during his only season as a starter with the Buckeyes in 2016. He finished the year second in the country with seven interceptions, including three that he returned for a touchdown.

The 25-year-old Hooker, who is the older brother of Ohio State junior safety Marcus Hooker, will soon be one of five former Buckeyes on the Cowboys’ roster, joining running back Ezekiel Elliott, long snapper Jake McQuaide and wide receivers Johnnie Dixon and Noah Brown.

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