Malik Hooker injury update: Cowboys DB hugs multiple teammates before heading to locker room

Dallas is having a tough night against Green Bay on Sunday Night Football and it might be getting worse. Safety Malik Hooker was injured during the second quarter and had to exit the contest.

According to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Hooker came up in pain following a play and couldn’t put any weight on his left leg. He then headed into the locker room ahead of halftime, but only after hugging several teammates on the sidelines.

“Mike (Tirico), you mentioned safety Malik Hooker,” sideline reporter Melissa Stark said on the air a few minutes later. “He is questionable to return with a toe injury. We saw him being helped off the field, the training staff looking at that left foot. He then limped up and down the sideline, hugging his teammates before going into the X-ray room. He has not returned to the field.”

So far this season, Malik Hooker has accounted for 16 tackles through the first three games of the season. The ninth-year NFL veteran and former first-round NFL Draft pick is a key cog in the secondary for Dallas.

Hooker is coming off season in which he tallied 81 tackles, two interceptions and five passes defended. That was one of his most productive seasons in the league.

In total during his career, Hooker has accounted for 377 tackles, a forced fumble, four fumble recoveries, 14 interceptions and 24 passes defended. He has appeared in 103 games.

Jerry Jones defends himself on Micah Parsons saga

Jerry Jones opened up on the moments that led to the trade of Micah Parsons with the Dallas Cowboys set to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The Cowboys owner was asked on Football Night in America about a conversation that he had with Parsons amid negotiations this offseason.

Maria Taylor asked about a reported phone call between the two in which Jones told Parsons to either get to practice and suit up for Week 1 against the Eagles or be ready to go to Green Bay. The owner confirmed that the phone call happened but said it wasn’t what it was made out to be.

“The words are accurate, but the sensitivity and the feelings are not,” Jones said. “I think a lot of Micah. I admire him. He’s a great player and he’s got a great family with him. But he got caught up in the numbers. I wanted the numbers of players that a player like Micah Parsons can get for us in the future. And I thought we can play some good football even though we didn’t have him in the short term.

“I like the numbers and I’m fully aware, because we had him four years. As I said earlier, that didn’t get us to the Super Bowl. That really didn’t get us further than we can go. We’ve got to try something different.”

On3’s Chandler Vessels also contributed to this report.