There’s a debate going around among Dallas Cowboys talking heads about whether Brandin Cooks or Stephon Gilmore will be the bigger acquisition. What ultimately matters is how both players mesh in a new system and with new teammates, and how they contribute to winning.
Speaking of which, it’ll be interesting to see how CeeDee Lamb adjusts to working alongside a proven receiver. That’s no shot at Michael Gallup, but it goes without saying Cooks is much more accomplished than the five-year pro.
While Cooks isn’t a prototypical No. 1 receiver, he’s posted 1,000 receiving yards six times in nine seasons. He has ample experience operating as a team’s top target, but is just as comfortable sharing the field with another go-to weapon.
Cooper Kupp, Michael Thomas, Robert Woods and Rob Gronkowski are just some of the studs Cooks has competed for targets with.
Appearing on Adam Schefter’s podcast, Cooks made it clear to listeners that Lamb is the guy in the Cowboys’ offense. He’s just here to help.
Brandin Cooks: CeeDee Lamb and I have no ego, I told him I'm coming to help. https://t.co/f3ZN0uYrDT
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 6, 2023
Cowboys’ Brandin Cooks lauds CeeDee Lamb as WR1, excited to reunite with Stephon Gilmore.
"“CeeDee, you’re talking about a guy that’s been electric since the moment he stepped into this league but you at last year what he did to really just go into that mode of a true No. 1 receiver,” Cooks told Schefter. “I’ve got a lot of respect for his game from afar and I hit him up and was like, ‘Look, I’m coming to just help.’ Like, there’s no ego. And same thing with Michael Gallup. And then you talk about Dak, his competitive nature, the way that he goes about his work, you hear about it from teammates or ex-teammates, the way that he carries himself, I’m truly excited to be able to play with a guy that who is hungry to get better.”"
If that doesn’t prove Cooks is the perfect fit — both on the field and in the locker room — then nothing will. Cooks has been traded four times in his career, and the Cowboys mark his fifth team. He’s been around the block and understands he was added to help Dallas’ offense; not take the shine away from Lamb.
Lamb logged 156 targets last season (fourth-most of any WR). If he sees fewer looks in 2023 because Cooks is making big plays, he’ll be just fine with it. The same goes for Cooks, who, as we mentioned earlier, is well-adjusted to sharing the spotlight with another high-profile pass-catcher.
Waxing poetic about about Lamb isn’t the only thing Cooks and Schefter discussed. Later on, they transitioned to Cooks reuniting with Stephon Gilmore. To say the two kept in contact since Cooks was traded from New England would be an understatement.
"“No exaggeration, we’ve probably talked every single day for the past three or four years, Cooks added. “Every week at least, for sure. He’s somebody I’ve got a lot of respect for, that I run things by. But he got traded first and I was like, ‘Man, how do we make this happen?’ And then next thing you know we’re back on the same team together so I’m excited."
This is an underrated part of the trade. It’s one thing for Dallas to trade for two impact players. The fact they added players who’ve shared a locker room before will pay massive dividends from a team chemistry perspective.
Schefter then asked Cooks what people don’t realize about Gilmore’s game.
"“We like to talk about it like, ‘Just push play.’ He’s still playing at the highest level but the guy is patient and he’s extremely smart. And his film study, it’s just one of those things where he has everything that you want from a corner and I think it’s going to be huge for him and Trevon Diggs to pair up together and for him to drop that knowledge on Diggs, because Diggs is already special but the knowledge that Steph has is really second to none that’s in the game right now, honestly.”"
Does it get any better than this? We admittedly came down from the high stemming from the Cowboys’ spending spree, but Cooks’ quotes on both Lamb and Gilmore have catapulted us back up to cloud nine.
And to think they haven’t even taken the field yet.
Cowboys fans will love Stephon Gilmore trade even more after latest comments
Cowboys fans will love te Stephon Gilmore trade even more after the star cornerback revealed he's been a Dallas fan his entire life.