Cowboys practice this week opens under a different defensive roster than the one that started Sunday night in New Jersey. Malik Hooker is scheduled for forearm surgery Tuesday after a confirmed fracture, and DeMarvion Overshown is out for what coach Brian Schottenheimer described as a one-to-two-week hamstring strain.
Neither absence is being framed as season-altering - and neither is expected to require injured reserve - but both reshape the install for Sunday's home game against the Washington Commanders.
The clearest personnel answers came Monday from Schottenheimer's secondary and linebacker walkthroughs.
Locke inherits Hooker's sub snaps
Schottenheimer shut down the idea that first-round pick Caleb Downs would automatically take Hooker's third-level workload. "We love P.J. Locke," the coach said, according to DallasCowboys.com. Downs can move around and played well in the opener, Schottenheimer added, but the staff likes him "down near the line of scrimmage."
That assignment keeps Downs in a disruptive role closer to the ball and puts Locke on the snaps Hooker would typically see in sub packages. It is a veteran-to-veteran handoff in the deep middle while the rookie stays in the space where Dallas drafted him to thrive.
Hooker's surgery day falls early in the Commanders preparation week. Even with a hoped-for two-week return window, he is not part of the Sunday plan. Locke has to be ready for a full menu of Washington personnel groupings without treating the week as a temporary fill-in.
Linebacker snaps without the green-dot starter
Overshown handled the defensive communication in Week 1. With him sidelined, Schottenheimer pointed first to Dee Winters as the most experienced linebacker available, then to Barham's 34 defensive snaps as a rookie and to Shemar James' football intelligence. Practice-squad elevations remain on the table for Curtis Robinson and Justin Barron.
