Malik Hooker & Donovan Wilson are both facing critical seasons
How much do you trust the Cowboys safety group?
While other spots on the Dallas Cowboys roster are coming with turnover and question marks, safety is relatively stable with Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson as returning veteran starters. But while enjoying well-established roles going into 2024, both players are entering stages in their careers and contracts that will bring their play under heavy scrutiny.
After a few years of a three-headed approach with Jayron Kearse in the mix, Hooker and Wilson are now expected to be the primary pair at safety. Like the rest of the defense, they’ll have to show they can now produce for Mike Zimmer the same way that they did for Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator. While Quinn certainly helped elevate the safety play in Dallas, Zimmer’s scheme is expected to complement Hooker and Wilson’s games nicely.
Even if the strategic changes on defense don’t make them stumble, both players are going to be under a microscope given their ages and money. Hooker just turned 28 and Wilson 29, putting them close enough to 30 that it’s always going to be in the conversation. As offenses get faster and more pass-oriented, athleticism at safety is becoming increasingly important.
Additionally, Hooker and Wilson are both scheduled to have significant shifts in their contracts next year. Hooker’s cap hit nearly doubles from about $4 million this season to $7.75 in 2025. He’d still have $4 million in dead money on the deal, but Dallas could get cap relief with a straight release ($3.75m) and much more if they make him a June-1st cut ($5.75m). Wilson’s cap number doesn’t move so dramatically; $7.4 million this year and $8.7 million in 2025. But the dead money will have a big change, dropping to just $3.3 million next year and creating the potential for a cap-clearing move.
So if nothing else, Hooker and Wilson can’t afford to show decline as their costs go up. Wilson also has to worry about injury issues, having missed nine games over the last three years. If they give the front office any sense of liability in their level of play or availability, the team will quickly consider cheaper options at a position they’ve historically not wanted to invest significant money into.
It doesn’t help the veterans that there are already two exciting young prospects behind them on the depth chart. Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell have both made names for themselves already as backups, with Bell now moving back to safety after a year of emergency linebacker duty. Both will be restricted free agents in 2025, so Dallas will have the leverage in getting them back as affordable starters if they decide to replace Hooker or Wilson.
Naturally, Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson can kill this conversation with strong performances in 2024. Their salaries are still well below the league averages for safeties, but the Cowboys have never wanted to pay market value at the position. It’s a spot where they’re always looking for bargains and that means the veterans will need to play at a fairly high level to justify their rising cap hits. With Thomas and Bell on the rise, neither can afford a down year.
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