Malik Hooker Will Have Wrist Surgery And Miss Two Weeks
The Dallas Cowboys lost their Week 1 opener to the Giants 28-20 and came out of it with two defensive starters banged up, but the news Monday was better than initially feared.
Starting safety Malik Hooker fractured his wrist against New York and will undergo surgery Tuesday. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys are hoping for a two-week recovery window and that Hooker will avoid injured reserve.
He should be back around Week 4 against Washington. In Hooker's absence, Juanyeh Thomas is expected to slide into the starting safety role.
Starting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown pulled his hamstring late in the fourth quarter, his right hamstring tightened on Cam Skattebo's run with 11:40 remaining, and an MRI confirmed a strain Monday. Schottenheimer said that's also a one-to-two-week timeline.
Rookie third-round pick Jaishawn Barham, who played 34 snaps against New York and recorded six tackles including one for loss, is expected to step into a starting role alongside veteran Dee Winters.
Neither player is going to injured reserve. Both should be back within a fortnight. For a Cowboys defense that got gashed for 28 points and 165 rushing yards, losing two starters for any length of time is far from ideal.
