The Cleveland Browns are in need of some depth at the wide receiver position, but the problem is that they have a rather tenuous salary cap situation entering the offseason.
As a result, the Browns may need to turn to trades rather than attempting to solve the problem by signing free agents.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Scouting Department sees a potential opportunity for Cleveland over in the NFC East, noting that the Dallas Cowboys could end up trading Brandin Cooks this offseason.
Remember: the Browns acquired fellow wide out Amari Cooper in a deal with the Cowboys a couple of offseasons ago, so a precedent has been set here.
Cooks was acquired by Dallas in a trade with the Houston Texans last offseason.
The 30-year-old had a fairly disappointing campaign with the Cowboys, catching 54 passes for 657 yards an eight touchdowns.
Due to Cooks’ rather subpar 2023 output, he is viewed as a player the cash-strapped Cowboys could potentially cut this offseason, but before doing that, Dallas would surely assess his trade value first.
Cooks, who played his collegiate football at Oregon State, was originally selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 20th overall pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
In spite of the fact that Cooks has been largely productive for most of his career, he has played for five different teams: the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Texans and Cowboys.
The Stockton, Ca. native has logged six 1,000-yard campaigns, most recently doing so in 2021.
Cleveland could certainly use another receiver alongside of Cooper, and Cooks could very well be the answer.
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