When the Dallas Cowboys acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans last offseason, they were hoping he would represent a dynamite No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb.
That did not exactly happen.
Not that Cooks was bad in 2023, but he certainly wasn’t great, logging 54 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns. It was the third-lowest receiving yardage total in his 10-year NFL career.
As a result, Cooks could end up being a cap casualty this offseason.
The Cowboys are over the salary cap, meaning they will have to make some tough roster decisions in order to free up some money for free agency.
Kyle Koster of The Big Lead thinks that Cooks—who is entering the back half of a two-year, $39 million deal he initially signed with the Texans in 2022—may very well be one of the victims.
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.
He has played for five different teams since entering the league, spending time with the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston and Dallas.
While Cooks has never made a Pro Bowl, he has posted six 1,000-yard campaigns, topping out at 1,204 yards with the Rams back in 2018.
However, Cooks’ production has waned the last couple of years. Before his underwhelming season with the Cowboys in 2023, he caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three scores with the Texans the preceding campaign.
Dallas went 12-5 and won the NFC East division title this year. The Cowboys seemed primed for a deep playoff run, but they ultimately bowed out to the Green Bay Packers in embarrassing fashion in the Wild Card Round.
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