Malik Hooker

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Pinnock, Cowboys

The Eagles both signed five-year starter Terrell Edmunds and used a third-round pick on Sydney Brown. Both safeties factor into the team’s plans, but they are not outflanking Reed Blankenship thus far through training camp. Blankenship has been a first-team mainstay, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, who adds Edmunds and Brown have rotated at the other safety spot. Indeed, The Athletic’s Zach Berman notes Blankenship — a 2022 UDFA out of Middle Tennessee State — has been the Eagles’ top safety in camp (subscription required).

This reminds of Marcus Epps‘ rise last year. Despite the Eagles re-signing Anthony Harris and adding Jaquiski Tartt in 2022, Epps earned a starting job — one that eventually led to a two-year, $12MM Raiders payday. The Eagles brought in C.J. Gardner-Johnson via trade just before last season. That transaction could signal none of Philly’s safeties should be too comfortable, but Blankenship — Gardner-Johnson’s injury sub last year who played 291 defensive snaps — looks like the best bet to start among the in-house group.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • Staying on the subject of safeties in this division, the Giants may be moving toward giving Jason Pinnock the starting job alongside Xavier McKinney. A Jets fifth-round pick in 2021, Pinnock started five games for the Giants last year, operating as McKinney’s injury fill-in. He has received consistent first-team work in camp, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes. Pinnock has distanced himself from Dane Belton and veteran Bobby McCain, having been Big Blue’s first-teamer since the fourth training camp practice. The Giants, who lost Julian Love in free agency, claimed Pinnock shortly after the Jets waived the converted cornerback on cutdown day last year. Two seasons remain on Pinnock’s rookie contract.
  • Malik Hooker‘s 2023 Cowboys cap hit climbed from $4.32MM to $4.57MM as a result of his recent extension, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. The incentives in the three-year, $21MM contract include $500K bumps involving playing time and INT production. Five picks and the Cowboys making the playoffs would result in a $500K increase, Archer adds, noting the other incentive requires Hooker to play 85% of Dallas’ defensive snaps and the team to make the postseason (Twitter link).
  • The Cowboys, who turned Micah Parsons from an off-ball linebacker to a fearsome edge rusher, are giving Leighton Vander Esch some reps on the edge, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes. While the sixth-year linebacker received sparse edge work in games last season, Gehlken adds this is the first time he has received extensive instruction in a defensive end role. Rostering Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Sam Williams, the Cowboys are much deeper on the edge than at linebacker. It would stand to reason LVE’s role will likely remain mostly as an off-ball defender.
  • The Giants recently added longtime safety Mike Adams to their coaching staff, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweets. A 16-year veteran, Adams will replace Anthony Blevins as the Giants’ assistant defensive backs coach, the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard adds (on Twitter). Adams, 42, hung up his cleats after the 2019 season. Blevins left the Giants during the summer to accept an XFL HC position.
  • While Devon Allen did not see any game action for the Eagles last season, Berman writes the two-time Olympian hurdler is in play to make the team as a backup this year. Allen, 28, has not played in a game since working as an Oregon slot receiver in 2016. Shifting to track full-time proved beneficial for Allen, who is one of the best 110-meter hurdlers in U.S. history. But he opted to give football another try last year. He suffered an injury at the U.S. Championships last month, exiting the 110 hurdles competition before the finals in order to preserve his body for his second Eagles camp. The Eagles activated Allen from the PUP list Tuesday.
  • Given a reserve/futures deal along with Allen in February, Matt Leo landed on the Eagles’ reserve/retired list last month. The team hired the former practice squad defensive end a defensive and football operations assistant.

Cowboys To Extend S Malik Hooker

The Cowboys re-signed Donovan Wilson to solidify their safety position. Months later, they are making another commitment. Former first-round pick Malik Hooker agreed to an extension to stay in Dallas on Friday.

Hooker agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $24MM, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The contract includes $16.5MM guaranteed, which features an $8MM signing bonus to be paid within the next 15 days. This agreement will tie Hooker to the Cowboys through the 2026 season.

Having been previously tied to a two-year deal worth $7MM, Hooker has secured an elusive payday. These terms appear in line with the pacts given to the non-Jessie Bates wing of safeties in this year’s free agent class. Wilson and Juan Thornhill received $7MM-per-year deals, while Vonn Bell signed for $7.5MM per year with the Panthers. Jimmie Ward ($6.5MM AAV) and Jordan Poyer ($6.25MM) came in just south of that, with the Seahawks and Raiders respectively giving Julian Love and Marcus Epps two-year, $12MM accords.

Hooker has gone from the lowest-paid member of Dallas’ safety trio to the highest-paid, guarantee-wise. It is not yet known how Hooker’s AAV stacks up here, but his $16.5MM guarantee tops all the above-referenced safeties. Wilson signed for $13.5MM guaranteed. The Cowboys now have three safeties — Wilson, Hooker and Jayron Kearse — signed to veteran contracts south of $10MM per year, making this an interesting all-middle-class trio at the position. Kearse is signed to a two-year, $10MM contract.

This is a long time coming for Hooker, whom the Colts selected with the 15th overall pick in 2017. He came into his rookie year after an injury, and a September 2020 Achilles tear ended up concluding his Colts tenure. Indianapolis moved on after Hooker’s rookie deal, having passed on his fifth-year option prior to that injury occurring. Hooker had missed 15 games from 2017-19, having suffered a torn ACL in October 2017. This Cowboys stay has rebuilt the one-time top prospect’s value.

Hooker, 27, has missed just three games since initially signing with the Cowboys — on a one-year, $920K deal in July 2021 — and has helped the team build a strong safety foundation. Once regularly connected to Earl Thomas, the Cowboys now have three proven defenders at the position. Pro Football Focus ranked all three of Dallas’ safeties in the top 30 last season. Hooker (13th) led the way, playing 861 defensive snaps despite starting just six games. Using a bevy of three-safety looks, the Cowboys saw Hooker intercept three passes and make 62 tackles last season.

The Cowboys came into training camp with lofty extension goals. Hooker’s name did not appear on this marquee, with CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele being Dallas’ top extension targets. Diggs has signed a five-year, $97MM extension. The Cowboys have Lamb signed through 2024, via the fifth-year option, but have Steele heading into a contract year. Several weeks still remain for the Cowboys to find common ground there, however. Zack Martin remains a camp holdout, though Jerry Jones did not indicate a deal is coming for the future Hall of Fame guard.

Cowboys To Re-Sign Malik Hooker

Malik Hooker is staying put. On Tuesday, the Cowboys agreed to a new two-year, $8MM deal with the veteran safety (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

[RELATED: Cowboys, Lawrence Agree To Deal]

The Ohio State product joined the Cowboys in the 2021 offseason, reuniting with old pal Dan Quinn. At the time, Hooker was coming off of an injury-riddled season in which an Achilles tear limited him to just two games. He inked a one-year prove-it deal and he indeed proved it. Hooker suited up for a career-high 15 games with three starts, notching 44 stops, two passes defensed, and an interception against the Giants in Week 14.

Last time around, the Steelers and Dolphins also showed interest in Hooker. This round of free agency would have seen even more suitors, so the Cowboys didn’t want to roll the dice. Hooker, 26 in April, still has room to grow, so this deal could wind up being extremely team-friendly.

In other Cowboys news, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is set to return on a revised deal that will lower his 2022 cap hit.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/23/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/15/21

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/21

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here. Teams have until 4pm ET/3pm CT Tuesday to reach the 80-man roster limit.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts 

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: OT Jonathan Hubbard
  • Released from IR via injury settlement: Sam Renner

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Expected To Sign S Malik Hooker

Malik Hooker remains in free agency, but the former first-round pick has been connected to multiple teams this offseason. He is paying the Cowboys another visit Friday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). This second meeting is expected to produce a deal, so long as Hooker proves healthy, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

The Cowboys hosted Hooker, Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee in March. Both Neal and Kazee, each of whom former Dan Quinn charges with the Falcons, signed with the Cowboys. Dallas looks set to have all three of those March visitors in uniform soon.

A Ohio State product, Hooker is coming off a season in which he played just two games. He suffered an Achilles tear last September. That affected his market, and Hooker should be expected to use the 2021 season as a springboard to a more lucrative contract down the road.

Hooker also visited the Steelers and Dolphins this year, with his most recent meeting — in Pittsburgh — coming in early June. Shortly after that meeting, Hooker expressed interest in waiting on more teams to enter the equation. Dallas’ re-emergence appears to have satisfied him, and Hooker — if healthy — will have a good chance at earning a starting job.

Dallas has been linked to big-name safeties for years but has resisted. The team signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix last year but cut the ex-Packers first-rounder before the season. This year, Quinn has Neal set to play both safety and linebacker; Kazee joins Hooker in coming off a major injury. The Cowboys lost Xavier Woods in free agency but have been aggressive in free agency, adding Jayron Kearse in addition to the March visitors.

Hooker, 25, poses as a low-cost flier who has extensive starter experience. Indianapolis deployed the former No. 15 overall pick as a first-stringer in 35 games. However, Hooker has suffered ACL, MCL and Achilles tears as a pro. This season will be pivotal to determining his path toward future guaranteed dollars.

Malik Hooker Wants To Take More Visits

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%.

Steelers Interested In Malik Hooker 

Safety Malik Hooker met with the Steelers on Thursday, according to (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). So far, that’s three known visits for the former first-round pick. 

Hooker should find a home soon, now that we’re beyond May 3rd. From this point forward, teams can sign veterans like Hooker without a negative impact on their compensatory pick formula.

The Ohio State product was plagued by injury trouble throughout his Colts tenure. Still, he showed promise during his healthier stretches. After a seven-game rookie season, Hooker graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 ranked safety in 2018. That year, he suited up for 14 games and notched 44 stops with four passes defensed and two interceptions. Hooker followed that up with 13 games in 2019, but saw his 2020 mostly erased by an Achilles tear.

The Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds set to start with Antoine Brooks Jr., Miles Killebrew and seventh-round pick Tre Norwood in the backup mix. The Steelers turned down Edmunds’ fifth-year option for 2022, so there could be a long-term opportunity for Hooker in Pittsburgh, even if he initially inks a one-year deal.