Cowboys secure their starting safety, restructuring Malik Hooker's deal while showing confidence in his role within the new defensive scheme.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are spending Monday moving on players ... and moving their money.
Part of the front office's job is to do the work to create cap space ahead of the 2026 NFL year, which begins on Wednesday.
With the "legal tampering window'' opening on Monday, roster moves are being made. Dallas got off to a good start in that regard by trading a 2027 fourth-round pick for EDGE Rashan Gary of the Packers.
The team also on Monday created around $10 million of space by restructuring right tackle Terence Steele, a confirmation of our report a week ago that the team wanted to "fix'' him rather than cut him.
And now comes a similar, smaller move with another veteran, as Dallas is restructuring the final year of Malik Hooker's deal in a way that will save around $2 million on this year's cap.
The Cowboys' trick here? Hooker's contract reduces the base salary (he was slated to make $7 million) but also gives him more salary if he achieves certain bonus incentives.
Would they have cut him had he not agreed to the re-do? Maybe, yet a source here inside The Star tells us the Cowboys "believe in him'' as a starting safety in new coordinator Christian Parker's "3-4 Hybrid'' defense.
Hooker, who turns 30 in April, has a good NFL history as a playmaker and was rated as a top-15 safety by Pro Football Focus in 2022 and 2023 but fell drastically to a ranking of 64th of 91 while dealing with a toe injury.