The safety from Ohio State had his rookie year cut short because of a torn ACL. He struggled to put up the same numbers last year, but should have a bounce back season this year.
Malik Hooker had a rough season when it comes to his numbers in 2018. Last season he only had two interceptions all year compared to his three that he had through only seven games in 2017. But those numbers are slightly deceiving. He had a better year than you think.
The Colts changed their defensive scheme last season. They went to more of a shell Tampa 2 defense instead of the 3-4 that they had under Chuck Pagano. With that new scheme, Hooker didn’t have as many opportunities to create turnovers as he did as a rookie.
Hooker has an opportunity to change that a little bit this season. He now knows how to play in his system better and will have better opportunities to take chances. Because of the personnel around Hooker, he can play more of the roaming free safety role that he played in 2017.
That role not only suits Hooker better, but it suits the Colts better too. The more turnovers he can create, the better for the Colts. Hooker was able to force a fumble last season. Just one fumble won’t help quite enough.
The defense as a whole should play better this season with another year under Matt Eberflus’ tutelage. Another year in the system should allow everyone to play better in their roles and create more turnovers.