3 Cowboys Fans Will Be Happy to See Leave in Free Agency
2. Brandin Cooks, WR
The Dallas Cowboys' acquisition of veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks last offseason feels like the perfect representation of unmet expectations and false promises. And that's not Cooks's fault, specifically.
The Cowboys decided to trade for Cooks in 2023 instead of attack the wide receiver position in other ways, and while Cooks has managed to catch 11 touchdown passes in his two years in Dallas, his effectiveness for this offense has been far too sporadic.
In the 2024 season, Cooks had just 23 catches for 244 yards and his lowest yards per reception (10.6) of any year in his NFL career since his rookie season. There was merit to this idea on paper when the Cowboys made it last year but the more time has gone on, the more you can't help but wonder if one of the wide variety of receiver trades that have been made for other (better) players over the last two years would have suited Dallas more.
Or if the team should have just gone all the way in on a total youth movement at the position. Cooks played 72 percent of the Cowboys' total offensive snaps (that he's been healthy for) over the last two years, meaning his overall lack of ideal production given his pay grade came along with taking a lot of snaps from other guys who could have potentially both helped this team or maybe given a better glimpse into the future.
Cooks has played for five NFL teams including the Cowboys, and Dallas will be the first team he has played for that he didn't end up having a 1,000-yard season for. It's a shame things didn't work out for Cooks with Dallas as everybody hoped they would when he was acquired in 2023, but Cowboys fans won't be sad to move on to the next in 2025.