Picking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs 11th overall was perhaps the best decision the Dallas Cowboys made in the 2026 NFL Draft. But that move may have complicated things for another player on the team, who was a former first-round pick.

Malik Hooker’s contract was restructured in March 2026, and he’s still the starter on the depth chart. However, an Insider has already raised questions about him being there on the roster in September, with Downs now on the team.

“The one answer based on talking about your surprise breakout guy, and I think got word himself is Malik Hooker, who’s already taking a pay cut,” Clarence Hill Jr. said on DLLS Cowboys podcast. “He got some guaranteed money, but is there a chance that they could still make a move there? I don’t know. … Maybe him.”

Hooker was a first-round pick in 2017 – 15th overall to the Indianapolis Colts – the kind of draft-night investment that follows a player for the rest of his career. But the Colts declined his fifth-year option in 2020, after which he signed with Dallas on a one-year deal. After showcasing his performances, he got his contract with the Cowboys in 2022, which was a three-year, $21 million extension. However, after the franchise decided to restructure his contract, it showed that they had some plans in mind.

This March, the Cowboys saved $2.2 million in cap space by bringing Hooker’s base salary down to $5 million from $7 million. He now earns $3.5 million guaranteed, with a signing bonus of $750K. On top of this, he has a $1.5 million active roster bonus and can earn up to $3 million in incentives, pushing his potential payout to $8 million.

Hooker’s best performances for the Cowboys came in 2024. He posted a career-high 81 tackles, five pass deflections, and two picks. However, a toe injury in Week 4 last season landed him on the IR. Hooker only returned to action in Week 11, but it was overall a solid season for him; the only doubts were about his durability.

Blaming the Cowboys’ past struggles entirely on Malik Hooker may just be the easy way out. He played two seasons behind a defense Dallas itself decided to get rid of twice – first with defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer (2024), and then with Matt Eberflus (2025). But that defense has finally been overhauled. With new DC Christian Parker leading the change, the Cowboys look like a playoff threat even before the training camp begins. This is the year for Hooker to prove he can make plays, because if he can’t produce with the current squad, the case for keeping him collapses.

Blogging the Boys’ LP, Cruz flagged Hooker as a potential surprise cut, trying it directly to his underwhelming performance (7 picks in five years with Dallas, but none last year). Sports Illustrated’s Randi Gurzi made the same argument from a different angle, noting that if Caleb Downs outshines everyone and becomes the starter, Hooker’s “days would be numbered.” Both of them also made the case that if Hooker declines, P.J. Locke steps in as Parker’s safety, given their shared time in Denver.

Despite all that, Hooker is a veteran who knows the scheme. Jalen Thompson is new to Dallas, and Downs is a rookie. Those are real factors in Hooker’s favor, but the calculus shifts the moment something goes sideways at camp.

That is where Caleb Downs comes in. Dallas traded up from the No. 12 spot to No. 11 – swapping their draft pick with the Miami Dolphins specifically to take him. Moving up the draft in the first round is not just to add depth to the roster. They definitely see starting potential in him, which is why the future of Hooker could be somewhere outside Dallas.

Caleb Downs has already made his mark on Dallas

Downs asked for the playbook from Christian Parker the first day he arrived at The Star. By the time the rookie minicamp opened, fellow rookie Devin Moore was telling reporters that Downs had already had the playbook memorized and was playing multiple positions on the defense.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer touted his “incredible lower-body athleticism” and called his intelligence and body control elite. Parker went a step further than that.

“He’s a natural football player,” Parker said. “He’s one of the first picks in the schoolyard. He’s going to have natural versatility. It’s a matter of what he can handle mentally and how we can fit everything together.”

The Cowboys have slotted Caleb Downs at nickel corner to start, and the player himself has expressed excitement at the thought of playing multiple positions and adapting on the field depending on the situation.

“I think it’s just being able to make plays in all facets of the game,” Downs had said about his fit. “Whether that’s near the line of scrimmage or in the deep part of the field, I feel like I could do it all and it’ll be a great relationship to be able to do that with the Cowboys.”

Dallas chose Downs because he can play in the slot, in the box, or even as a free safety. That versatility will be invaluable in Parker’s flexible schemes. They also brought in Jalen Thompson to handle the other safety spot. Competing against these two, a third veteran safety who isn’t producing has no place in the picture.

Downs, on the other hand, has special numbers across three college seasons. He recorded 257  tackles, 16 TFLs, and six picks across Alabama and Ohio State, and he didn’t allow a single touchdown in his two seasons as a Buckeye. What’s more, Downs has also revealed he wasn’t happy with the way the draft turned out. Nine teams passed on him and picked his Ohio State teammates before Dallas moved up, and Downs noticed.

“Like any competitor, you love to see it,” Downs had said. “My guys from Ohio State, I was happy to see them go and everything. But I felt like I should have been picked earlier. So that was like, definitely, ‘whatever’ to me.”

Malik Hooker’s biggest problem isn’t his contract number or Locke waiting behind him. It’s that Caleb Downs walking in carrying a chip on his shoulder. Veterans on one-year deals can only survive that if they show up and outperform. Hooker has one training camp ahead of him to do exactly that.