This Dallas Cowboys big offseason acquisition has thus far netted almost nothing
The search for Amari Cooper’s replacement opposite CeeDee Lamb is supposed to be solved by Brandin Cooks.
Cooks thus far is not “stretching the field” the way the Cowboys planned when they traded fifth and sixth round draft picks to the Houston Texans this offseason in exchange for the veteran. Rather than stretch it, there’s a better chance you haven’t noticed when he is on the field.
Eight catches for 66 yards in three games isn’t exactly Problem Solved.
No one should expect Cooks to solve the Cowboys red zone issues. At 5-foot-10, 183 pounds he’s not built for those types of plays.
He is built to, as Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said in the offseason, add “juice” to a passing game that still needs some. The Cowboys aren’t really trying to squeeze to see what Cooks can do.
In the three games he’s played, he’s been targeted a total of 15 times. He’s not washed up, but it looks right now that the Cowboys don’t exactly know how to use him.
After the Cowboys’ win on Sunday against the New England Patriots, I asked him if he’s bothered at all by his production thus far.
“No,” he said. “I truly mean that from the bottom of my heart.”
If Brandin Cooks was 22, or even 25, that statement would be hard to believe.
Cooks is 30. He’s in his 10th year in the NFL. He’s made a lot of money, and he’s been around long enough to know.
He doesn’t need anyone to remind him what his numbers are. He’s also not the type of receiver to plead with his offensive coordinator, or berate his quarterback, to get him the ball. He’s been around for too long to do that pull sort of Terrell Owens-style lame stunt.
“I’m out there affecting the game in different ways,” he said. “We all do. I might have a big game, I might not. At the end of the day, you get the win in that win column and that takes care of everything. I truly mean that.”
Whether or not Cooks is “affecting the game in different ways” is up for debate.
Cooks says he is. The Cowboys say he is.
The game suggest otherwise; the game suggests the Cowboys, and specifically quarterback Dak Prescott, are not looking Cooks’ way much. Looking at film of the three games Cooks has played, there are a few times when he’s had a shot and, for whatever reason, it hasn’t happened.
In the Cowboys’ Week 4 blowout win over the New England Patriots, a pass play that went to rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the first quarter was there. Prescott hit his receiver in tight coverage, only Schoonmaker didn’t catch what would have been a touchdown.
On the route, Cooks was there for a touchdown but Dak never looked at him. These things happen. The concern is if they happen a lot. Three games isn’t a lot.
Cooks is a better version of T.Y. Hilton, the former Indianapolis Colts receiver who was signed by the Cowboys late last season in their effort to find “more juice.”
Other than one spectacular catch to convert a 3rd-and-30 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve, T.Y. didn’t have much left in what was a three-game career with the Cowboys.
Cooks should have more than T.Y. Cooks is fast and has good hands; he should be a threat on a deep route, or something wide where he can use his speed. He’s not going to out-physical a defender.
“In the early years, if you are going through the struggle, it’s OK because you can build through it,” he said. “As you know, you can’t play this game forever. I think being here, winning the way we are, it puts you closer to that goal of what you want to accomplish in your career, and that’s winning it all.”
He has been so close. Twice.
Cooks is the rare NFL creation who has played in two Super Bowls, for different teams, in consecutive years, only to lose both times.
In 2017, he was with the New England Patriots when they reached Super Bowl LII, where they lost by eight points to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2018, Cooks was with the L.A. Rams when they reached Super Bowl LIII, where they give up 10 fourth-quarter points to lose 13-3, to the Patriots. In the game, Cooks caught eight passes for 120 yards.
Those two seasons are his only trips to the NFL playoffs.
He has seen enough, and done enough, to know not to be worried about eight catches for 66 yards in three games.
There is some juice left in Brandin Cooks. The Cowboys have to squeeze.
This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
