Malik Hooker is a veteran free safety for the Dallas Cowboys whose 2025 season was interrupted by injury.
Malik Hooker burst onto the scene as a ball-hawking safety at Ohio State before the Colts made him a first-round pick in 2017. After his Indianapolis tenure, he found a steady home in Dallas alongside Donovan Wilson. Injuries shaped his 2025 campaign with the Cowboys.
Path to the league
Hooker was a one-year starter at Ohio State, where his range and instincts at free safety made him a consensus All-American and a first-round talent. The Indianapolis Colts selected him 15th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He later signed with Dallas, where he paired with Donovan Wilson at safety.
2025 season
Hooker started the Cowboys' first four games before a toe injury suffered in Week 4 against Green Bay landed him on injured reserve in early October. He was designated to return in November and finished with 52 tackles and one pass defensed over 12 regular-season games, playing through back trouble late in the year.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Malik Hooker
- ESPN: Malik Hooker player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
12 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | cowboys | 12 | 52 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2024 | cowboys | 17 | 81 | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023 | cowboys | 16 | 50 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 2022 | cowboys | 16 | 62 | 44 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2021 | cowboys | 15 | 44 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | colts | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | colts | 13 | 51 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2018 | colts | 14 | 44 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2017 | colts | 7 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Ohio State
- Hometown
- New Castle, PA, USA
- Age
- 30
- Status
- active
