The Baltimore Ravens have dealt with wide receiver injuries in the last few weeks and even brought in veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks for a workout ahead of their Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints. However, Cooks won’t be heading to Charm City.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that Cooks is signing with the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.
“Free-agent WR Brandin Cooks is signing with the 49ers practice squad, initially to get up to speed for games. It is year 13 for the former first-round pick from Oregon State who now is 189 yards short of 10,000 receiving yards for his NFL career,” Schefter wrote on X.
Cooks Has Had a Long History in the NFL
Cooks has been in the NFL for 12 seasons, starting his career with the New Orleans Saints for four seasons. He then played for the New England Patriots for one season, the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys for two seasons each, the Houston Texans for three seasons, and the Buffalo Bills last season.
The 32-year-old receiver has 734 catches, 9,811 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns in 173 games.
Baltimore brought in Cooks for a workout after the Ravens faced a tough Week 1 win over the Colts, with Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane leaving the game injured.
The Ravens placed Lane on injured reserve after Week 1, while Flowers didn’t practice Friday heading into Week 2 with a hamstring injury, and Baltimore ruled him out for the game against the Saints.
The Ravens Are Counting on Flowers
Flowers could return in Week 3, when the Ravens play the Cowboys.
The Ravens are expecting big things from Flowers this season, and they secured him with a new contract this offseason. Baltimore signed Flowers to a four-year, $140 million extension, and head coach Jesse Minter shared their plans for Flowers back in July.
“I look forward to him getting the ball in as many ways as possible. The more that guy touches the ball, the better we’ll be,” Minter said on “The Lounge” podcast, via the team’s website.
“When you talk about coaches having a vision and a plan, I think our offensive coaches have a great plan and vision for maximizing the best players – Zay certainly being one of those guys.”
Flowers had a great Week 1, recording five receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown, showing how serious the Ravens were about getting him more involved in the offense this season.
The Ravens’ top priority now is getting Flowers back to full health, as they missed his presence in their Week 2 loss to the Saints, which ended 24-17. If Flowers had been on the field, Baltimore could have had a good chance to secure the win. Now, the Ravens must travel to play the Cowboys at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, hoping to avoid falling to a 1-2 record.
Ravens Miss Out on 9,811-Yard WR They Worked Out Before Week 2 Loss to Saints