It's certainly no secret that the Dallas Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the NFL this past season. Specifically, they ranked 30th in the league in total yards per game allowed (377.0), dead last in pass yards per game allowed (251.5), and dead last in scoring (30.1).
It's also no secret that if the Cowboys want to get new defensive coordinator Christian Parker some new players to work with, they'll need to fix their salary cap situation, as America's Team is currently projected to be more than $30 million over the 2026 cap figure. And that doesn't even include the money they'll need for their upcoming draft picks, which adds roughly another $7.5 million, nor does it include any money they might need for George Pickens, whether on the franchise tag or on a long-term deal.
Contracts can and will be restructured, of course, to create more cap space, with those of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith being the most likely targets to start. But the Cowboys could also end up cutting some players to create additional space, and one beat writer believes the most likely candidate in that regard is safety Malik Hooker.
Cutting Malik Hooker would create nearly $7 million in cap space for the Dallas Cowboys
The Athletic recently asked each of its 32 beat reporters to name the most likely salary cap casualty for their respective teams, and Cowboys insider Jon Machota opted for Hooker, making sure to note how that might only be by default, as Dallas seems set on keeping its trio of high-priced defensive tackles.
"The Cowboys are unlikely to have a notable salary-cap cut. Right tackle Terence Steele could be a possibility, but it would make more sense financially to keep him for at least one more year. There’s also the defensive tackle position, where Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark are all making more than $20 million per season. However, it doesn’t sound like the Cowboys have interest in letting any of them walk.
"That leaves Hooker, who is entering the final year of his deal. Releasing him would save Dallas about $6.8 million against the cap. But that all greatly depends on how new defensive coordinator Christian Parker feels about Hooker and a safety position that isn’t very strong."
Hooker certainly didn't play his best football this past season, at least in most aspects, as it undoubtedly needs to be noted that his 82.9 run-defense grade ranked eighth among 98 qualifying safeties. That said, though, his 60.8 overall grade ranked 66th, his 58.5 pass-rush grade ranked 71st, and his 51.8 coverage grade ranked 75th.
As Machota mentions, the Cowboys would save roughly $6.8 million in cap space by cutting the nine-year veteran, the exact figure being $6,852,941, according to Over The Cap, but they'd also take on $2 million in dead money.
Then, of course, there's the matter of Hooker's release possibly creating a scenario where Parker would almost have to start from scratch at safety, with Donovan Wilson set to become an unrestricted free agent and Juanyeh Thomas a restricted free agent, thus leaving Markquese Bell as the only other safety on the roster who took more than 40 defensive snaps this past season.
But given the numbers we posted at the top of this piece, perhaps starting over in the secondary is what Dallas needs to do at this point.
If Clark isn't going anywhere, Hooker is the next man up.