After a win in Week 4 vs. the Giants, the Cowboys are now 2-2 on the season. Dallas outlasted New York 20-15 on Thursday Night Football and have had a mini-bye ahead of Week 5. The Cowboys are on the road this week to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. On defense, the team will be without DEs Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
To make matters worse, the Cowboys will be missing a veteran WR against Pittsburgh in Week 5. Brandin Cooks had a small procedure on his knee following the TNF game vs. the Giants. This procedure was done in New York. Cooks developed an infection in his knee and is going to be out in Week 5. There’s a chance Cooks misses more time with this unusual knee problem.
Brandin Cooks will not play in Week 5 for the Dallas Cowboys
#Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks will miss this week’s game vs. the #Steelers, and possibly more, after developing a knee infection following a procedure in New York, per @toddarcher. Another big loss for Dallas. pic.twitter.com/i3FIcQnLxG
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 2, 2024
In the 2012 NFL draft, Brandin Cooks was the 20th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints. He played three seasons with New Orleans before he was traded to the Patriots in 2017. Following his lone season with New England, the team traded Cooks to the Los Angeles Rams. Cooks was with the Rams in 2018 and 2019 before they traded him to the Houston Texans. The veteran WR spent three seasons in Houston before they traded him to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2023 season.
Cooks is tied with RB Eric Dickerson for the most times traded in league history. In six of his 11 professional seasons, Cooks has had 1,000+ receiving yards. However, he’s failed to hit that mark since 2021 with 1,037. Cooks had 54 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023. Through four games this season, Cooks has not been targeted much by QB Dak Prescott. CeeDee Lamb is the go-t0 target for the Cowboys and Cooks was a WR2 in 2023. However, WR Jalen Tolbert has the same amount of targets as Cooks this season but has turned it into more catches and yards. With Cooks dealing with a knee infection in Week 5, the Cowboys will lean on All-Pro WR CeeDee Lamb in the passing game.