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Malik Hooker Wants To Take More Visits

June 13th, 2021 at 9:06am CST by Rory Parks

Free agent safety Malik Hooker has taken visits with the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Steelers this offseason, but he is still looking for a new home. Dallas has added free agent Damontae Kazee, Miami selected Jevon Holland in the second round of the draft (though the ‘Fins did cut Bobby McCain after the draft), and while Pittsburgh didn’t do much to bolster its safety group, it will return starters Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds.

At this point, those three clubs appear satisfied with their respective safety situations, because Hooker indicated during a recent interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk) that he is hoping to visit with more teams before training camp opens at the end of July.

“There was a couple of teams I visited with that I thought highly of,” Hooker said. “Now, it’s just a matter of taking my time with it. Training camp’s next month, not next week, so I’ve got time to be able to still tune up things and still hopefully go on more visits to see what else teams are talking about. Maybe meet with some teams I’ve met with before hopefully.”

Hooker, whom the Colts selected in the first round of the 2017 draft, has shown plenty of promise in his pro career thus far. Unfortunately, he has also dealt with myriad injury problems. He missed more than half of his rookie season with a torn ACL, battled lesser ailments over the 2018-19 campaigns, and then suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 2 of the 2020 season.

As a result, he understands that he will need to settle for a one-year, “prove-it” contract, though he is obviously hoping for a good scheme fit on a team that will give him a real opportunity to reestablish his value. With respect to his recovery, he said he feels capable of playing right now but still has “little stuff” to work on before he is 100%.

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