Cowboys Acquire WR Brandin Cooks via Trade
NFL Offseason - The Houston Texans are trading veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys, according to a report from NFL Network’s. The Cowboys will send a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick in exchange for Cooks.
The Houston Texans acquired Cooks in 2020 via a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. He has two top-25 DYAR seasons among wide receivers since joining Houston. Cooks finished the 2022 season with a 44 receiving DYAR and a minus-6.9% DVOA, both career lows.
Dallas finished 13th in offensive passing DVOA in 2022. Cooks’ career-lows still out-performed Michael Gallup’s 2022 season by both DVOA and DYAR.
In April 2022, Houston and Cooks reached an agreement on a three-year extension worth $39.7 million. According to OverTheCap, Cooks currently has a $26.4 million cap hit in 2023.
Comments
6 comments, Last at 27 Mar 2023, 12:17pm
#1 by dmb // Mar 19, 2023 - 10:43am
Recalling that he was also acquired by New England via trade, my first thought was "Wow, Cooks has been traded a lot by NFL standards."
It turns out this is the fourth time he's been dealt, which ties him with another former Ram -- Eric Dickerson -- for the most since 1980. Cooks apparently asked out of Houston though, so I don't feel too bad for him matching the mark today.
#4 by BigRichie // Mar 20, 2023 - 11:32am
Granted some of his 'owie!'s were of the 'man, I hate it here in Houston!' variety. So those specifically shouldn't recur in Dallas.
But Cooks has reached the stage/age where he's now more likely to be hurt, likely to be out longer when he does get hurt, and less effective while playing through said hurts.
I think it's likely Dallas will regret this trade, less due to the foregone draft choices than to paying $17mil of cap money for a guy who's banged up too often. But the upside is also clear. If Cooks does stay healthy and remains effective at age 30 (no guarantee in the NotForLong), this could really really work out well for the Cowboys.
In summation, this trade (for both teams, actually) receives the very unofficial BigRichie Stamp of Approval.
#5 by ImNewAroundThe… // Mar 20, 2023 - 12:57pm
It's <$12.4m this year, and $16.5m next year. All unguaranteed too. Sub $17m each of the remaining years.
And he's missed 13 games in 9 years. Seems pretty durable. 29 all through pre season too. 957 average yards per year indicates some quality quantity too.
#6 by Hoodie_Sleeves // Mar 27, 2023 - 12:17pm
You say that like 29 is young.
There are 22 wide receivers older than Cooks in the NFL, and only 5 or them produced more than 800 yards last year. (Davante Adams, Tyler Lockett, Steffon Diggs, Mike Evans, Cooper Cupp) and all are significantly better players than Cooks (except Cupp - with 812 yards). 10 of those 22 produced less than 300 yards.
Davante Adams is the oldest of those guys, and he's only 8 months older than Cooks. The expectation should be that Cooks is done as a starter before this contract is over.