Malik Hooker holds the FS · Starter spot in Dallas Cowboys’s safety room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Malik Hooker played 12 games in 2025 with a 79% snap share.

Malik Hooker is a free safety for the Dallas Cowboys with nine years of NFL experience. The Ohio State product was selected 15th overall in the 2017 draft by Indianapolis, where he spent his first four seasons before joining Dallas in 2021. He has dealt with significant injuries, including a torn ACL and MCL in his rookie year and a torn Achilles in 2020. In his 2021 debut with the Cowboys, Hooker appeared in 15 games with three starts, recording 44 tackles, one interception, and two pass breakups. The following year he combined with teammates Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson in the secondary, adding 67 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, three breakups, and a fumble recovery returned for a 38-yard touchdown. Currently 30 years old, Hooker holds a one-year contract with Dallas and has one pass defended in 2025.

Ohio State2014 – 2016

Colts2017 – 2020

Cowboys2021 — present

CollegeOhio StateDraftRound 1 · No. 15 overall · 2017 · INDAcquiredAcquired from Indianapolis Colts · drafted thereHometownNew Castle, PA