Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy
The Dallas Cowboys are going to make significant changes in the 2024 offseason, but they may need to be wary of how much they trim. While wide receiver Brandin Cooks didn’t have a monstrous first season in Dallas, he is still being valued highly.
In a February 5 article, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox addressed potential “steals” of the 2024 offseason. Cooks is listed as one of those bargains, with the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans being named as prospective landing spots.
Cooks was a fine complement to CeeDee Lamb in 2023, finishing with 54 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he’s set to carry a $10 million cap hit, and Dallas is projected to be $14.3 million over the cap,” Knox wrote. “Releasing or trading Cooks with a post-June 1 designation would save the Cowboys $8 million in 2024 cap space… He’d be a fit for just about any team that has a lack of established receiver depth, but his veteran leadership could make him most attractive to rebuilding franchises.”
It could be a case of the “grass being greener” for Dallas. Yes, Cooks is likely going to cost a bit more than projections call for. But he is still clearly solid, albeit it may need to be as a third option rather than a No. 2.
Cooks’ First Year in Dallas
The Cowboys moved for Cooks at a cross-road in his career in 2023. He was approaching his 30th birthday and had crossed the 1000-yard receiving mark as recently as 2021. They were trying to raise the floor of their receiver group, with the hope that Cooks could hit those marks again.
He did not. As Pro Football Reference shows, Cooks caught 54 passes for 657 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. That may not seem impressive, but averaging 12.2 yards per catch and making grabs 66.7% of the time is still solid.
Further, he developed a redzone connection with QB Dak Prescott. He finished second on the team for receiving touchdowns. And it wasn’t inflated by singular games, all 8 scores game in separate contests.
Cooks is consistent, although he may not be as explosive as he once was. Trading or releasing him may be the smartest financial decision. But he shouldn’t be released based on his performances or skills.
Could Cowboys Trade Cooks?
If Dallas does move on from the veteran receiver, a trade would be ideal. The Cowboys gave up a 2023 fifth-round pick and 2024 sixth-round pick for Cooks. Recouping some of that would be good business.
One recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report believes the Cowboys could get back a fifth-round pick from the Cleveland Browns. As Heavy’s Jonathan Adams mentioned, this does provoke memories of the Amari Cooper trade.
But fear of the “wrong move” is not how teams operate. If Dallas wants to move on from Cooks, they can’t be especially picky about where he goes or what they get in return. His contract is just expensive enough that they lack serious bargaining power.
Plus, the Browns aren’t a direct rival in any sense. If a team is giving up a talented player, they’d always prefer to deal him to a team in the opposing conference.