Player of the Week: Brandin Cooks Fuels Cowboys’ Fire
Brandin Cooks Career Stats
Brandin Cooks
Brandin Tawan Cooks
Dallas Cowboys
3
30 years old (25-09-1993)
178cm
USA
Wide Receiver
On Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys had a massive 49-17 win over the lowly New York Giants, which boosted Brandin Cooks’ career stats.
He had a huge game at the wide receiver position, and the former New Orleans Saints is fitting in well in the new environment.
It was his first real impact game with the Cowboys, and it could spark him into action.
Speed to Burn
The best attribute of Cooks, and why he has always been highly regarded with NFL WR rankings, is his speed.
He showed it when playing with the Saints, and although he had been underutilized with the Cowboys, that wasn’t the case against the Giants.
The 30-year-old had 173 receiving yards from nine receptions, which is an incredible 19.2 yards per catch. You don’t often see that, and although the Giants defense was non-existent, it’s still an amazing performance.
His longest catch went for 37 yards, so he was consistently picking up around 20 yards per play and picking up first downs for the Cowboys. It was close to his best-ever performance in the NFL.
“Just continuing to try to trust the process, like I’ve always said,” Cooks said following the win. “The ball came my way, and I just wanted to be able to take advantage of the opportunities that I had tonight.”
He should have been given more opportunities throughout the year, but the penny might have dropped now.
It was a huge boost Brandin Cooks’ career stats, which were starting to look sorry.
A Much-Needed Performance
For a player with nearing 9,000 receiving yards, life was getting tough for Cooks in the NFL.
For whatever reason, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott wasn’t targeted him much. He had just two targets in a 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, catching one for seven yards.
It hasn’t necessarily been the fault of Cooks, who has no problem finding space in the middle of the field. However, the Cowboys have a lot of quality receivers, and he was being left behind.
That could all change now after adding 173 to his stats, which takes his season tally to 338. It’s hard to believe he struggled so much leading up to this game, but most of his struggles came against tough NFL teams.
He was held to seven yards against the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, so facing poor defenses could help Brandin Cook’s career stats trend upwards.
Needs to be Used More
Cooks needs to be used more by the Cowboys offense, and Sunday’s win over the Giants could be the catalyst.
It’s borderline criminal to have a player of his quality not getting involved in the game, and it’s not like Dallas can afford to be complacent.
He averages 13.6 yards per carry throughout his career, which is outstanding. He knows where to find space, and because of his quickness, defenders find it hard to stay with him.
He might be on the shorter side at 5’ 10” but the former Oregon State first-round NFL draft pick doesn’t need to tower over defenders.
If the Cowboys want to be a force come playoff time, which they’re usually not, Cooks needs to be heavily included in the offense.
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