Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker is seeking guidance from a hand specialist after fracturing a bone in his forearm during the team's Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. The recovery period has not been determined, though the injury could sideline him for as many as six weeks depending on the location and severity of the break.
Hooker was injured during the second half and did not return to the game. The report from si.com said the timeline remains uncertain. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer had indicated after the loss that he believed Hooker had suffered a forearm fracture.
Stephen Jones, the Cowboys' co-owner, said on 105.3 The Fan that some forearm fractures can be played through. That leaves open the possibility that Hooker will not miss a game, but Dallas does not yet know whether he will be available.
Hooker was serving as the team's third safety behind Caleb Downs and Jalen Thompson. Dallas used Downs alongside Thompson in Week 1 when Downs was not playing in the slot. The report identified P.J. Locke as the likely player to take Hooker's role, with Alijah Clark and Markquese Bell also possible contributors after neither played a defensive snap in the opener.
The Cowboys also lost linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to a hamstring injury in the game, and no update on his condition had been provided. Hooker is in the final year of his contract and is scheduled to become a free agent after the season.
