Dallas Cowboys fans know all about injuries at the quarterback position derailing a season after seeing Dak Prescott go down during the 2024 campaign. For one former Cowboys wide receiver, the same scenario is playing out this season, and it is somehow an uglier situation than the one Dallas was in this past year.
Brandin Cooks joined the New Orleans Saints as a free agent under the assumption that Derek Carr would be the quarterback delivering the ball to him. That is no longer the case as Carr has officially retired from the NFL, and the Saints now find themselves with a quarterback battle made up of, largely, untested youngsters in Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener.
While he is saying all of the right things now, it is safe to wonder whether the veteran pass catcher is having some second thoughts about reuniting with his former team.
Brandin Cooks Leading By Example in Tough Times for New Orleans
"At the end of the day, we all start 0-0. It doesn't matter what you did last year," Cooks said, via Christian Gonzales of NFL.com. "It don't matter what you did the previous year. It's a new slate for us and you can call it underdog or whatever the case may be, but we are putting in our work. We will let our actions do the talk come Sundays during the season."
Cooks will have to take on the role of a veteran leader on a roster he just returned to after suiting up for other franchises for several seasons. A job that would normally be placed on the shoulders of the signal caller will be a responsibility Cooks takes on in New Orleans, as the trio of inexperienced quarterbacks battle it out on the practice field for their shot at being QB1.
The Saints will have their fair share of ups and downs throughout the 2025 campaign. In addition to helping his quarterbacks by making catches on Sundays, Cooks' veteran presence in the huddle and locker room should make him a leader for an offense that desperately needs it.
Fortunately for Cowboys fans, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and the rest of the wideouts in Dallas have no concerns over who will be delivering them the ball once the regular season kicks off.