FRISCO, Texas – At the end of the day, Damontae Kazee and Malik Hooker are competing for playing time in the secondary.
But the new safeties on the Cowboys' roster have something in common.
"We're the Achilles Boys," Kazee said. "He tore his right one and I tore my left one. We come up with strategies on how to stretch it, what cleats to wear and everything else. We talk about it a lot."
Kazee has been a full participant in training camp after tearing his Achilles' tendon in Week 4 last season as a starter with the Falcons. He signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys in March and reunited with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the former Falcons head coach who drafted Kazee in 2017.
Prior to the injury, Kazee tied for the NFL lead in interceptions during the 2018 season.
Hooker, also a fifth-year veteran, says he took a free-agent visit to the Cowboys the same time as Kazee did in March after tearing his Achilles in Week 2 with the Colts last year.
"I kind of knew of him a little bit before, obviously with what he did a couple years ago in the season, him being a great player as well," Hooker said. "And then on the visit, when we finally met in person, we clicked on the visit. We chopped it up, both going through the same injuries, asking the hardest part about it, what we didn't like about the process and stuff like that. And even still to this day, that's probably one of the guys I talk to the most."
The Cowboys signed Kazee that week but circled back to Hooker in late July as he progressed further in his rehab. The workout in Oxnard, Calif., went well, and Hooker joined the team early in camp.
Monday's practice at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco was Hooker's first team-drills work of camp. During a red-zone session, he picked off Ben DiNucci's tipped pass in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown.
If Hooker continues to progress and earn playing time, he could help establish a veteran safety rotation that features Kazee and third-year veteran Donovan Wilson, who emerged as a starter last season.
Kazee has mostly worked with the starters in camp and says he's fully healthy. He's also sought advice from teammate Keanu Neal, who previously tore an Achilles' tendon with the Falcons.
"I don't think about the injury," Kazee said. "You can't tell me I got injured when you look at me on the field. Just be myself, be who I am, and don't change anything."
