Cowboys acquire WR Cooks from Texans; now likely out on OBJ
HOUSTON, TX - JANUARY 01: Brandin Cooks #13 of the Houston Texans walks off of the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on January 1, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
FRISCO, Texas (AP) - The Dallas Cowboys acquired receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans on Sunday, adding a speedy veteran to play alongside CeeDee Lamb.
Houston gets a fifth-round pick this year and a 2024 sixth-rounder in a deal reminiscent of a year ago when Dallas sent No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to Cleveland for two late-round picks.
The difference in the trades is the Texans will pay $6 million of Cooks’ $18 million salary. The Browns absorbed the entire $20 million owed to Cooper.
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It’s the fifth time Cooks has been traded, including a swap the day after he was taken 20th overall by Arizona in 2014. New Orleans acquired him for the 27th overall pick and a third-rounder that year.
Cooks later went to New England, the Los Angeles Rams and the Texans in trades.
The 29-year-old Cooks has six 1,000-yard seasons in nine years, with career highs of 1,204 yards with the Rams in 2018 and nine touchdowns with the Saints in 2015. He has 8,616 yards and 49 TDs.
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The Cowboys waited until late in the 2022 season to put a speedy veteran alongside Lamb when they signed free agent T.Y. Hilton. Dallas is coming off consecutive 12-5 playoff seasons.
Lamb, who turns 24 next month, had career highs of 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns last season. The 2020 first-round pick had 10 100-yard games in his first three seasons, second in club history to Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Hayes, who had 13.
Besides Lamb and Cooks, the Cowboys are hoping for a bounce-back season from Michael Gallup now that he’s more than a year removed from an ACL injury.
The 27-year-old Gallup sustained the injury in the 16th game of 2021 and missed the first three games last season before finishing with 39 catches for a career-low 424 yards.