Cowboys Get Big WR News at Thursday's Practice
It's been nearly three weeks since the Dallas Cowboys placed wide receiver Brandin Cooks on injured reserve. The veteran pass-catcher underwent surgery to repair a knee issue earlier this month, forcing him to miss at least four games as he recovers.
Week 10 is the earliest that Cooks can return to the Cowboys' lineup, prompting fans to wonder if he'll be good to go by then.
Although the 31-year-old isn't out of the woods just yet, the latest update on his situation is bound to fill Cowboys fans with optimism.
Cowboys Injury News: Brandin Cooks Returns to Practice
ESPN's Todd Archer has revealed that Cooks returned to Cowboys practice on Thursday. The injured wideout wasn't a full participant as he's still on the IR, but the fact that he's healthy enough to at least work out with cords is a sign of major progress.
Cooks' injury is one of the many issues the Cowboys' WR room has been dealing with this season. The group has left much to be desired throughout the 2024 campaign outside of CeeDee Lamb's performance and the occasional strong showing from Jalen Tolbert. Outside of that duo, Cooks and KaVontae Turpin are the only Dallas wideouts with touchdowns this season.
Cooks was one of the Cowboys' top-scoring threats in 2023. Although his 657 receiving yards made for his second-worst output since 2015, his eight touchdowns were the second-most among all Dallas receivers and running backs.
Unfortunately, Cooks couldn't build off that production before his injury. The ex-Oregon State product was largely invisible in his first four games to begin the new season, hauling in just 9-of-19 targets (47.4%) for 91 receiving yards and a touchdown. He even failed to crack the 20-yard mark in his last three outings.
Hopefully, some time off helped Cooks rediscover his groove. The Cowboys need his production to return to help turn the season around, especially if Jerry Jones hopes for a Super Bowl parade in Dallas next year.
The road to bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to Big D is currently an uphill battle, though. The Cowboys head into their Week 8 matchup against the 49ers with the 13th-best Super Bowl LIX odds (+3600) on FanDuel Sportsbook.
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