The Dallas Cowboys knew they were getting a jolt in their deep threat department when they traded a couple late-round draft picks (a 2023 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder) to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. He's one of only seven players in the entire league since 2014 -- when Cooks entered the NFL -- with over 8,500 receiving yards (8,616) and over 45 receiving touchdowns (49). Alongside Cooks in that exclusive club is Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans, Tennessee Titans receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown.
His six career seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards are tied for the third most in the NFL since 2014, trailing only Evans (nine seasons) and Kelce (seven seasons) in that statistic. Cooks has achieved the feat with each of his four previous teams: the New Orleans Saints (2015-2016), the New England Patriots (2017), the Los Angeles Rams (2018) and the Houston Texans (2020-2021). Doing so in 2021 with Houston is especially noteworthy given he was catching passes from Tyrod Taylor and rookie Davis Mills.
Production is almost guaranteed for Cooks, but what the Cowboys didn't realize was how seamlessly he was going to fit into their offense and locker room.
"We're great," Prescott said on Thursday of his new chemistry on the field with Cooks. "That's a credit to him. I don't want to give myself too much credit. That's a guy that's a true pro and you can see what he's done in throughout this league, look at his numbers. When you watch him and see how he prepares by taking care of his body and approaches the game, you can see he came in playing with some of the best quarterbacks [Drew Brees and Tom Brady] and coaches [Sean Payton, Bill Belichick and Sean McVay] in this league. He's been trained the right way, so going into Year 10, he's going to be vital for our team success. What he's going to be able to add with his stats and leadership alone, I can tell you guys CeeDee [Lamb] and Michael Gallup are thankful for that. He's just a hell of a guy. That allows our chemistry to speed up ... Just him being consistent."
Day 2 Cowboys Camp - Dak to Cooks deep ball pic.twitter.com/F9vMzdyIfr
— Chris Behm (@behmer09) July 28, 2023
Cooks attributes his quick bond with his quarterback to their love of the grind that comes with being able to thrive in the NFL while approaching 30 years old. Prescott's 30th is on Saturday and Cooks' is on Sept. 25.
"We're cut from the same cloth, we just work," Cooks said Thursday when talking about his connection with Prescott. "We just continue to perfect our craft, be hard on ourselves and get to work every single day."
Even though Lamb enjoys teasing Cook for his advanced age, in the context of being an NFL wide receiver, the 24-year-old ascending talent hangs on every word of advice from his new, well-traveled teammate.
"I always bring up his years; I'm only on Year 4, and he's on Year 10," Lamb said Thursday. "I feel like the best teacher in life is experience. Everything that he's been through, I'll ask him questions ... just picking his brain. His physical ability is amazing. Very speedy, confident guy. He takes care of himself well. I've learned a lot from him."
So, too, has Cowboys second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick out South Alabama in the 2022 NFL Draft. He's in a battle to be Dallas' No. 4 receiver behind Lamb, Cooks and Gallup, and his observed growth can be heavily attributed to Cooks' mentorship, according to his coaches.
"I'm a big fan of Brandin, and the speed is evident, but just watch the way he works in practice," Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said at Cowboys minicamp on June 8. "Jalen Tolbert has had an incredible minicamp, and if you talk to Jalen, what Jalen is gonna tell you is he spent a ton of time with Brandin. So, here's a guy that's been there and done that and what Brandin wants to do, in addition to coming in and learning a system, is he wants to encourage and invest in the younger guys. So, those guys spend a lot of time together. I see them before practice in the weight room working together. So, what Brandin brings us is way more than just speed. It's really fun to watch him run, whether it's deep routes or short routes, it really doesn't matter. But what I love is the competitor in the way he is encouraging that entire room of receivers. It's been awesome."
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy shared a similar assessment of the veteran wide receiver out at training camp in Oxnard, California Thursday. The reverence Cooks has already as a Cowboy sounds like he's been a team captain for years and not entering his first season with the Silver and Blue.
"I was most impressed with his [Cooks'] video, his production," McCarthy said Thursday when reflecting on what stood out when the team was looking at acquiring Cooks. "He's performed at every opportunity. He's been super impressive with the type of man he is in the locker room. He has made an impact in the short time that he's been here. A lot of love for his professionalism. He's so much more, not that we didn't expect it. He's a joy to have. This is a reflection of our veteran players and younger plays. He does it the right way and gives back. You can feel his impact already."
Even though Cooks is coming off just his third season without 1,000 yards, totaling just the third-fewest receiving yards in his career (699) during the Texans' tumble to a 3-13-1 record in 2022, he made it clear that year was an outlier and that he still possesses his afterburners.
When it comes to his speed and confidence, "Oh yeah, it's still there."
