Cowboys Acquire WR Brandin Cooks in a Trade with Texans

Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks with the Houston Texans in October 2022.
Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks with the Houston Texans in October 2022. Photo by Romeo Guzman/CSM/Shutterstock (13452399f)

Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks finally got his wish of leaving the Houston Texans. Cooks is heading to the Dallas Cowboys, who are sending a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-rounder to Houston in exchange.

The Cowboys attempted to trade for Cooks last season, but the two teams couldn’t find a path to a deal. They recently resumed talks and managed to get on the same page after the Texans accepted to pay $6 million of the player’s $18 million salary in 2013.

Cooks told the Texans that he wanted out last season as he didn’t want to be a part of a rebuild. He finished the campaign with 57 catches for 699 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

“Beyond blessed and can’t wait to go be special for the star! Very thankful for the Jones family for this opportunity for my family and I,” Cooks told ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime after the deal was made official.

The Cowboys have been on the market for a dependable wide receiver for a while now, lacking options behind star wideout CeeDee Lamb. The team traded away Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns last season while Michael Gallup went down with a torn ACL. Cooks, who has 630 career catches, should solve this problem.

There were reports that Dallas is also targeting Odell Beckham Jr in free agency, with team owner Jerry Jones publicly expressing his interest in the Pro Bowler. However, sources close to the team say that the Cowboys won’t pursue Beckham now that they got Cooks.