After the Houston Texans traded Brandin Cooks to the Dallas Cowboys, it appears probably that he’ll be remembered extra for the variety of occasions he was traded than for his precise NFL profession itself. That’s too unhealthy, however it’s significant that Cooks has thrice been in a position to command a first-round worth — first within the draft after which twice in subsequent trades.
Although the commerce to the Cowboys doesn’t fairly carry the identical price ticket, it’s value determining if this real journeyman may genuinely assist out the Cowboys and if the Texans actually acquired worth out of the deal.
Brandin Cooks Commerce Particulars
Cooks was traded to the Cowboys on March 19, 2023, 4 days after the start of the 2023 league yr.
The Dallas Cowboys acquired:
The Houston Texans acquired:
2023 fifth-round decide, No. 162 general (EDGE Nick Hampton)
2024 sixth-round decide
The Cowboys didn’t lengthen Cooks after buying and selling for him, as an alternative taking over the contract extension he had signed with the Texans. Cooks is below contract till the tip of the 2024 season. The Texans took on $22 million in lifeless cap house on account of the commerce.
Gamers Concerned within the Brandin Cooks Commerce
Cooks was traded for a decide that was used to pick edge defender Nick Hampton. Hampton, nonetheless, was not drafted by the Texans. As a substitute, the Texans traded a package deal of picks that included the 162nd general choice to maneuver into the third spherical to draft receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell.
Winners and Losers of the Brandin Cooks Commerce
Over the course of his profession, Cooks has been a superb receiver. Although he by no means made a Professional Bowl, he ranked sixth in whole receiving yards between 2015 and 2018 — forward of Odell Beckham Jr., Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Inexperienced, Amari Cooper, Adam Thielen, and Davante Adams.
His manufacturing dropped off in 2019, however he regained it in 2020 and 2021. Even together with the down years of 2019 and 2022, Cooks ranks ninth in receiving yards since 2015 — that’s higher than Keenan Allen, Tyler Lockett, Thielen, and T.Y. Hilton.
Cooks additionally isn’t that previous. He’ll be 30 on the finish of the 2023 season and may have a few years left. Although he entered the league as a speedster, he has a well-developed talent set that doesn’t essentially need to age poorly.
He’ll probably fall off sooner fairly than later, so his commerce worth was by no means going to be very excessive. However the Cowboys wanted one other receiver so as to add to the group to take strain off of CeeDee Lamb. Michael Gallup had been promising however wasn’t sufficient final yr, so filling out the receiver corps with confirmed expertise ought to assist out fairly a bit.
Paying a fifth-round decide in 2023 and a sixth-round decide in 2024 looks as if an applicable value for a short-term rental of a receiver coming off of a down yr — with unhealthy quarterback play — who may put in one other 1,000-yard season. The Cowboys aren’t shopping for an infinite quantity of worth, however they need to come out as winners.
Cooks himself has been attempting to arrange a commerce out of Houston. Getting right into a system with a high quality quarterback and with out the strain of being the highest receiver is nice, particularly when there’s a low probability that this meaningfully hurts his alternatives for manufacturing. He ought to be seeing a variety of snaps.
That makes Cooks a winner and will imply he earns one last contract earlier than retiring. The NFL has underappreciated him at giant, and this might put a highlight on him in the identical method that the 2018-2020 Los Angeles Rams put a highlight on Robert Woods as a complement to Cooper Kupp.
Lamb finally ends up a winner by the identical logic, although Gallup finds himself in an area the place he would possibly see considerably fewer snaps, relying on how usually the Cowboys resolve to deploy three-receiver units.
The Cowboys seemingly made a one-for-one alternative at tight finish, drafting Luke Schoonmaker to interchange Dalton Schultz, so it’s doable that Gallup doesn’t lose that many snaps to two-tight finish utilization.
The Texans could have acquired a bit much less for Cooks than they need to have, given the lifeless house they needed to decide up with a view to offload him. With out that calculation, that is in all probability honest worth for a participant who needed out. In that sense, the Texans are losers — although the actual dropping transfer was the contract they prolonged him as an alternative of the commerce.
Nonetheless, the chance value of lacking out on $22 million in cap house might be increased than the achieve supplied by a fifth-round decide one yr and a sixth-round decide the subsequent. Thus, the Texans come out as losers.
As a result of Cooks was probably on his method out regardless, it’s tough to treat somebody like C.J. Stroud as a loser, particularly on condition that the Texans added some receivers to the group within the type of Dell, Woods, and Xavier Hutchinson.
None of them are as prone to be nearly as good as Cooks is, however collectively — together with 2022 second-round receiver John Metchie, who missed his rookie yr attributable to most cancers therapy — they might greater than make up for it.
