On Sunday, it was reported that the Dallas Cowboys were acquiring wide receiver Brandin Cooks. This should have been a move the Denver Broncos made. Frankly, I'm beyond disgusted that the Broncos did not land Brandin Cooks.
On Sunday, the 10 year veteran was traded from the Houston Texans to the Dallas Cowboys for a 5th and 6th round draft pick.
Texans trading WR Brandin Cooks to Cowboys for 2023 5th round pick + 2024 6th round pick. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/9Bbyq3E6cR
— NFL (@NFL) March 19, 2023
Cooks, 29, was drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State by the New Orleans Saints. He was a Sean Payton/Mickey Loomis draft pick and spent three years with the team before being shipped off to the New England Patriots.
After his stay with the Patriots, he was shipped off to the Los Angeles Rams. After his stay with the Rams, he was traded to the Houston Texans. I have wondered for ages why someone of Cooks' caliber has been traded so much.
Anyway, he's got nearly 9,000 receiving yards in nine seasons in the NFL and has been nothing but reliable for his entire tenure in the NFL. Not only that, he's a true speed threat, something that the Denver Broncos' offense could have used.
This is extra frustrating as Cooks could be seen liking tweets from his personal Twitter account that indicated he'd have loved to have come to play with Sean Payton in Denver.
What makes me the most mad is what the Dallas Cowboys gave up to get him. All they had to part with this year was a measly 5th round pick and just a 6th round pick in 2024. I had personally thought he could have gone for a 3rd or 4th, but man was I way off there.
This makes it even more frustrating for me. Denver does need another reliable body at this position as all of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler have struggled with inconsistencies, injuries, or both. They have not proven to be a reliable core of players even though it's excellent on paper.
Cooks could have been a perfect veteran addition to the room, and I expressed my frustration on social media on Sunday, and I saw many cite the money as the main issue as to why Denver didn't make the trade.
To me, that's a load of garbage. Not only has Denver parted with a TON of draft capital to land Sean Payton and Russell Wilson, but they've been the most aggressive team in free agency this year and also did spend quite a bit last offseason during free agency.
I was very much hoping for a deal to get done between the Texans and the Broncos for Cooks. I thought a reunion for Cooks with Sean Payton would have been perfect, and now I do wonder how Denver plans on upgrading their underperforming WR room.