Malik Hooker was back on the Cowboys’ practice field Thursday, giving a secondary trying to sort itself out another participant before San Francisco arrives at AT&T Stadium. Hooker went from a non-participant listed for a personal absence Wednesday to full participation Thursday. His return gives Dallas an experienced safety back in the working group for Sunday’s game.
It also did not tidy up the position. Alijah Clark missed Thursday’s practice with an illness after not appearing on Wednesday’s report, and Juanyeh Thomas was limited by a hamstring issue. P.J.
Locke remained out with a concussion and has already been ruled out against the 49ers. Jalen Thompson is still on injured reserve. One player returned, while three other safety-related pieces remained unavailable or uncertain.
That is why Hooker’s full practice should be read as an important option rather than a completed solution. The Cowboys can put him through a normal Thursday workload, but the report does not name a starting combination or promise a Sunday assignment. It establishes that Hooker is participating again.
The decisions built around him still have to account for Clark’s illness, Thomas’ limited work and Locke’s absence.
The timing is especially relevant because Dallas is preparing for a San Francisco team that is 7-1, while the Cowboys are 4-5. This is not a week when the secondary can afford to treat every available body as interchangeable.
Communication and experience are part of the job at safety, particularly when the coaching staff may need to adjust its group during the week rather than waiting until the final hours before kickoff.
Hooker’s return therefore helps in two ways. First, it restores a player who has been in the Cowboys’ defensive structure rather than forcing every discussion to begin with the newest available option. Second, it gives the staff another practiced choice while the injury report keeps changing around him. Those are practical benefits, even without knowing whether he will start, rotate or handle a particular package.
The Thursday entries also show why a position-room headline can change quickly. Clark’s new DNP is different from a carryover absence: he was not listed Wednesday and then missed Thursday. Thomas did work, but limited participation is not the same as a full practice.
Locke’s situation is firmer because his status against San Francisco is already settled. Those three entries leave different questions, and the Cowboys cannot responsibly treat them as one problem.
