FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker fractured a bone in his forearm and is consulting a hand specialist to determine his recovery timeline, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, citing sources.
Rapoport reported that some breaks of that kind carry a six-week absence, and that the Cowboys are hopeful the specific bone and the nature of the break allow for a faster return.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said safety Malik Hooker might have fractured his forearm on Sunday night, hours after the 28-20 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
“It looks like from the x-rays here that Hook may have fractured his forearm,” Schottenheimer said. “We’ll get more information, more testing tomorrow.”
When Malik Hooker Left The Game
Hooker was on the field for a Jaxson Dart scramble with under a minute left in the third quarter and did not return. He had 1 tackle.
Hooker is in his sixth season with Dallas. He has 413 tackles and 14 interceptions in nine NFL years.
What The Dallas Cowboys Have At Safety
Dallas did not name a starter next to Hooker during the week before the opener. P.J. Locke and Juanyeh Thompson both took first-team snaps. Thompson started Sunday and finished with 9 combined tackles, second on the defense. Locke had 2.
Rookie Caleb Downs, the 11th overall pick, started in the slot. He finished his NFL debut with 7 combined tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a forced fumble.
New York gained 394 yards and went 4-for-4 in the red zone. Tight end Isaiah Likely caught all 8 of his targets for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns, scoring once with 20 seconds left in the first half and again on the opening drive after it.
Schottenheimer said the coverage broke down the same way more than once.
“It was a lot of bad eyes,” Schottenheimer said. “When you’re playing some of those match coverage zones, you’ve got to see who number three is. And, again, I think it’s really something that we could have gotten corrected better, should have. That’s our job as coaches, to put those guys in better position.”
DeMarvion Overshown’s Hamstring
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown went down with 12:04 left in the fourth quarter and finished with 7 combined tackles.
“DeMo’s got a hamstring,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re not sure the severity of it yet.”
Dallas hosts the Washington Commanders on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
