8 Cowboys off to disappointing starts eight weeks into the 2023 season

Brandin Cooks, WR

The Cowboys made headlines when they added Brandin Cooks last March. The veteran WR came over in a trade from Houston and was heralded by many. He was a plug-and-play starter with field stretching speed who would perfectly complement CeeDee Lamb’s game in the intermediate areas of the field.

Offseason reports were glowing. The 29-year-old was every bit as fast as advertised and developed an immediate chemistry with Dak Prescott in his backyard playing field, known as “the Dak Yard.”

This season, Cooks has only 17 receptions for 165 yards receiving. Four Cowboys players have more targets this season than Cooks. Four. Cooks has virtually disappeared for large stretches of games and seems like an afterthought on Mike McCarthy’s Texas Coast offense.

While not everyone predicted a Pro Bowl season from Cooks in year 10 of his NFL career, many predicted something close to it. Cooks seemingly thrived in every stop of his pro career. Playing with a QB like Prescott alongside a WR like Lamb, seemed like the perfect situation for a gamebreaker like Cooks.

Alas, that was not to be.

Diving into the film it’s hard to explain why. Cooks has all the speed and the route-running as advertised. He’s just seemingly an afterthought in the gameplan. Whether this changes as weeks go by or if it’s just a sign of what the season is to be for Cooks, remains to be seen.

What’s clear is this is not what Cowboys fans expected when Cooks was added to the roster in March. And probably not something Cooks himself envisioned when he moved to Dallas.