Malik Hooker Says Caleb Downs Is ‘Everything They Hyped Him Up To Be’ For Dallas Cowboys Defense

OXNARD, Calif. — Malik Hooker said the Dallas Cowboys expect rookie safety Caleb Downs to play a lot this season and to be a difference-maker on defense.

“Every play he lines up, he feels like he’s gonna win that rep [against anybody], and that’s the type of mentality we want on this defense; and especially coming from a guy that we’re expecting to play a lot,” Hooker said. “And not only play a lot, but to be a difference maker in our defense. Man, to see what he brings to the stable this year too, ’cause, right now, he’s everything they hyped him up to be — a special player.

“So happy to be here with him,” he explained. “Can’t wait to see not only what this year brings for him, but the rest of his career.”

Dallas selected Downs with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cowboys traded picks Nos. 12, 177, and 180 to the Miami Dolphins to move up one spot for him. Downs signed on May 1 and wears No. 13.

At Ohio State, Downs won the Jim Thorpe Award and the Lott Trophy in 2025. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year that season. Downs was a two-time unanimous All-American in 2024 and 2025, and he played on the Buckeyes’ national championship team in 2024.

Hooker came out of Ohio State a decade earlier. He was a unanimous All-American in 2016 and went 15th overall to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2017 NFL Draft. He turned 30 in April.

Christian Parker’s Rebuilt Dallas Cowboys Defense

Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker was hired on Jan. 22 after two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles‘ defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. At 34, Parker is the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. He worked as the Denver Broncos‘ defensive backs coach from 2021 through 2023, and he spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons as a defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers. It is his first coordinator job.

Parker replaced Matt Eberflus, who was fired after one season in the role. He is the fourth different defensive coordinator the Cowboys have employed in four seasons.

Dallas allowed 511 points in 2025, a franchise record and the most in the NFL. The Cowboys ranked 30th in total yards allowed. They finished last in the league in passing yards allowed per game at 251.5. Opponents converted 47.3% of their third downs against Dallas, also last in the NFL.

Hooker said the defense’s young players have been making plays in Oxnard.

“It’s just about repetition at this point now, you know, building it, and finally starting to put it all together,” Hooker explained. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that’s just playing their butts off right now, making plays, and that’s what makes the team so special for us.

“Not only the old guys making the plays, and the communication stuff, but you could take the old guys out, put the young guys out there, and they’d be just as good. It’s special to see,” he continued.

The Cowboys signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in March. Thompson spent his first seven seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and has 9 interceptions and 37 passes defensed across 99 career games. Locke played six seasons in Denver, three of them under Parker, and agreed to a one-year contract worth $5 million, first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Dallas signed cornerback Cobie Durant on March 13 after four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Durant appeared in all 17 games last season and finished with 3 interceptions, 60 interception return yards, and one defensive touchdown. Shavon Revel Jr., taken 76th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, played 7 games as a rookie.

Malik Hooker Enters His 10th NFL Season

Hooker started all 12 games he played in 2025. He recorded 52 combined tackles, 28 of them solo, and was credited with 1 pass defensed. He did not intercept a pass. Hooker played 78% of the defensive snaps.

The season before, Hooker started all 17 games and posted 81 combined tackles, 2 interceptions, and 5 passes defensed. He has appeared in 112 games over nine seasons, with 14 interceptions and 25 passes defensed. Five of those seasons have come in Dallas.

Hooker said he has played for coaches who emphasized the same things Parker’s staff does. What separates this group, he said, is the confidence in what players are saying to each other.

“Absolutely. I mean, absolutely,” Hooker said. “I’ve been around a lot of coaches that kind of coach the same thing, being loud in the meeting rooms and stuff like that, but it’s just the confidence of what guys are saying and knowing what their job is,” Hooker said. “… I’ll say that’s really the biggest difference.

“Not only just communicating and knowing your job, but also knowing who you’re talking to, who is affecting the play, or this game,” he explained. “I feel like that’s more the difference of where we’re at right now.”

Dallas held its first practice in pads on Aug. 3. The Cowboys practice again Saturday and Sunday in Oxnard before a joint practice with the Rams on Aug. 11 in Woodland Hills, California. Their preseason opener is Aug. 15 at the Seattle Seahawks, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT at Lumen Field.

Training camp in Oxnard closes Aug. 18 with a joint practice against the New Orleans Saints.