Depending on how you look at it, Brandin Cooks is either one of the most wanted players in the NFL or the least wanted. The veteran wideout enters his second season with the Dallas Cowboys after they landed him in a trade with the Houston Texans.
For Cooks, that was the fourth time he was traded, which tied a league record. Despite his continued movement, Cooks has produced at a high level for every team he’s played for, yet he’s constantly overlooked. That’s why Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report named him one of the eight most underrated wideouts in the game.
As Ballentines points out, even the teams Cooks suits up for don’t realize how productive he continues to be.
“Brandin Cooks doesn’t even seem to be appreciated by the teams he has played for throughout his career. The 29-year-old has six 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and has never been to the Pro Bowl in 10 seasons and he’s been traded four times.” — Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report
Cooks began his career with the New Orleans Saints, the first of five teams he’s played for. He then spent one year with the New England Patriots, two with the Los Angeles Rams, and three with the Texans before heading to Dallas in 2023.
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Cooks has put up 1,000 yards at least once at each of his previous stops. With Dallas, he’ll aim to hit the mark again after he put up 657 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
While he turns 31 in September, there’s still a chance he can accomplish the feat for Dallas this year since they moved on from Michael Gallup — who was taking most of the targets early in the year.
Throw in the dreadful depth chart at running back, and the Cowboys should be a pass-happy team in 2024, which will give Cooks another chance to prove how underrated he is.
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