“Every play he lines up, he feels like he’s gonna win that rep [against anybody], and that’s the type of mentality we want on this defense; and especially coming from a guy that we’re expecting to play a lot,” he said of Downs. “And not only play a lot, but to be a difference maker in our defense. Man, to see what he brings to the stable this year too, ’cause, right now, he’s everything they hyped him up to be — a special player.
“So happy to be here with him. Can’t wait to see not only what this year brings for him, but the rest of his career.”
The energy feels different this year for Hooker and the defense, and a large part of that is Parker and the staff he’s built, but also the moves the Cowboys’ front office has made to make sure what happened in 2025, stays in 2025.
As training camp speeds along, and the defense continues to give one of the best offenses in the league absolute hell on a daily basis, Hooker can barely contain his smile after pushing through one of the worst defensive campaigns in the history of the NFL.
“Absolutely. I mean, absolutely. I’ve been around a lot of coaches that kind of coach the same thing, being loud in the meeting rooms and stuff like that, but it’s just the confidence of what guys are saying and knowing what their job is,” he said of Parker and his staff. ” … I’ll say that’s really the biggest difference.
“Not only just communicating and knowing your job, but also knowing who you’re talking to, who is affecting the play, or this game. I feel like that’s more the difference of where we’re at right now.”
Hooker is seen as a key piece to help stabilize the defensive backfield, and particularly with so much youth to account for and to coach up, and there’s no other place he’d rather be right now than exactly where he is.