Blogging The Boys
Do you think the Cowboys should consider bringing Brandin Cooks back?
The Dallas Cowboys have plenty of holes on their roster to fill this spring. One of the most significant things they’ll need to address is finding capable wide receivers to work with All-Pro CeeDee Lamb.
Dallas’ offense lacked firepower in a big way last season, and it showed in their on-field performance. The Cowboys’ offense finished the year with the third-worst (30.1%) first-down percentage in the league and finished in the bottom ten in NY/A (5.7) and Y/P (5.0).
The lack of separation and explosiveness from receivers outside of Lamb was a significant factor in Dallas’ struggles on offense. This spring, the Cowboys will need to find offensive playmakers who can make Dak Prescott’s job easier and help get their offense back to one of the better overall units in the entire league.
One way to get off to a good start in achieving this goal may be by reuniting with a player who had a very disappointing 2024 season: wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
The 31-year-old had a nightmare 2024 campaign as injuries limited him to playing in just 10 regular season games. When he was on the field, it was evident Cooks did not look like the player we saw in Dallas during the 2023 season.
Cooks’ biggest issue during the season was lack of separation, as the 31-year-old finished the season with the fourth-worst average separation rate (2.2 yards) among qualified receivers. He also failed to surpass 55 or more receiving yards in a single game and posted career lows in receptions (26), receiving yards (259), receiving success rate (48.1%), and catch percentage (48.15).
The veteran never looked healthy throughout the entire season, and it’s fair to question if he ever was able to fully recover from the early-season knee injury that forced him to miss significant time. All of this may lead you to believe Dallas should look elsewhere at the receiver spot this spring, but they may be able to find some value in potentially retaining the veteran wideout.
After the year he had, it’s hard to see any team giving Cooks a multi-year deal on the open market. The 31-year-old is about to enter his 12th season in the league and has earned $116M during this span. In what may be one of the final seasons of his career, Cooks may prefer to play somewhere he is comfortable and knows the offensive system, which would help Dallas if they want to retain his services.
Spotrac projects Cooks to earn a one-year, $5M deal in free agency this spring. That number seems like fair value for the veteran, and it would be an affordable option for the Cowboys to retain some depth at the receiver spot before adding a legit number two option in the draft.
Consider this: If the Cowboys were to retain Cooks and add a receiver in the first round of the draft, like Luther Burden III or Emeka Egbuka, you would...
