The last thing Brian Schotteheimer needs right now.
If there is anything that could upend Brian Schottenheimer's first season at the helm that is out of his control, it's the injury bug. The Dallas Cowboys have a handful of players rehabbing from injuries, including star cornerback Trevon Diggs, but the roster is in solid shape overall.
With players returning to the practice field, injury exposure increases exponentially even though OTAs are laid back compared to minicamp and training camp.
Well, Dallas is already experiencing this after safety Malik Hooker departed Tuesday's session with back spasms and did not return.
Cowboys veteran safety Malik Hooker dealing with back injury at OTAs
While not the worst news in the world, the Cowboys' safety room has been a revolving door since offseason workouts started.
Donovan Wilson has been spotted with the rehab group throughout OTAs and Markquese Bell is working his way back from a gruesome shoulder injury suffered at the end of last season.
With Hooker and Wilson both injured, Juanyeh Thomas and undrafted free agent Alijah Clark were Dallas' first-team safeties during Tuesday's team drills. Thomas has seen a lot of burn in the nickel cornerback position as the Cowboys look to replace longtime starter Jourdan Lewis.
Fortunately, Hooker's injury does not seem serious. Per ESPN's Todd Archer, Hooker said he could return to practice as soon as Thursday. We'll see if that comes to fruition, but Cowboys fans probably want the 29-year-old to sit out until mandatory minicamp next week.
Hooker has been a wildly underrated piece in Dallas' secondary since he came aboard in 2022. He's managed to shed the injury bug that plagued him early in his career. Over the last three seasons, he ranks top 10 among safeties with a 89.3 run-defense grade and top 20 with a 78.8 player grade, per PFF.
While the Cowboys are flush with safety depth and fans would like to see defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus use players like Thomas and Bell more than his predecessors, Hooker's value to the defense cannot be overstated.
It seems that this was merely a scare, but back spasms are very tricky. It is far from ideal that the ninth-year vet is already dealing with back problems.
