Is Brandin Cooks playing this week? Latest Week 2 injury updates for Cowboys vs Jets

The Dallas Cowboys offense wasn't asked to do much in Week 1. As a result, they didn't unleash CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. Lamb led the team with 79 receiving yards, but 49 of those came on one catch, while Cooks caught two passes for 22 yards and drew a 37-yard pass interference penalty.

It's possible fans might have to wait another week for Lamb and Cooks to run rampant in an opponent's secondary. The Jets' defense presents a stiff test, but Cooks was a surprise inclusion on Wednesday's injury report.

It was only a walkthrough practice, and Cooks and Mike McCarthy downplayed the injury to the media, but the concern goes without saying.

What is the latest on Cooks' status for Week 2? Here are all of the latest updates.

Brandin Cooks injury status for Cowboys Week 2 game against the Jets

Per McCarthy, Cooks sustained a knee injury in the Cowboys' Week 1 win. He finished the game, which is a good sign, but McCarthy didn't exactly quell concerns when he said Cooks "has a chance" to play Sunday against the Jets.

On Thursday, it was reported Cooks is dealing with a sprained MCL. The severity of the injury is unclear, but you have to think he's a real doubt for Week 2. We'll know more from Thursday's injury report. McCarthy noted Cooks will work with director of rehabilitation Britt Brown, which is where Tyler Smith was at in his rehab this time last week before he was ruled out for the opener.

Sprained MCLs are typically a 2-3 week injury, so take that for what it's worth.

Brandin Cooks injury history

Cooks has been healthy for most of his career despite being "undersized" for a perimeter wide receiver at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds. The big concern with Cooks is his history with concussions, as he missed time in 2018 and 2019 with a Grade 1 concussion.

As a rookie in 2014, Cooks was limited to 10 games after he fractured his thumb in Week 11. He landed on IR and missed the rest of the year.

Last season, Cooks missed three games with a calf injury, though one of those absences was a coach's decision after he demanded a trade. For his career, 2010 marked the only season that Cooks missed more than four games.

Who would replace Brandin Cooks in starting lineup in Week 2?

Michael Gallup will step in as WR2 if Cooks is sidelined for Week 2.

Gallup caught one pass in the opener, but no pass-catcher besides Lamb and Jake Ferguson saw legit volume against the Giants. Behind Gallup, Jalen Tolbert would jump to WR3 after he played just 16 offensive snaps in Week 1 and KaVontae Turpin (and even Deuce Vaughn) could see an uptick in usage.

Cowboys next five opponents

Here are the Cowboys' upcoming opponents after Week 2.

• Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals, 3:25 pm CT 
• Week 4: vs New England Patriots, 3:25 pm CT 
• Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers, 7:20 pm CT (SNF)
• Week 6: at Los Angeles Chargers, 7:15 pm CT (MNF)
• Week 7: BYE

Cowboys injury report Week 2

• WR Brandin Cooks (knee)
• S Donovan Wilson (calf)
• LG Tyler Smith (hamstring) 
• LT Tyron Smith (ankle)

Jets injury report Week 2

• OT Duane Brown (knee) 
• OT Mekhi Becton (knee) 
• RB Breece Hall (knee)

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