Is Brandin Cooks the fastest Cowboys player? The world may never know

From @ToddBrock24f7: Cooks is doing everything fast: catching bombs, making impressions on coaches, settling in with teammates. But don’t expect a foot race.

Whether it’s coming from teammates, coaches, or the media types who’ve been present for practices thus far this offseason, the first reaction is always the same.

Despite closing in on 30 years old and entering his tenth NFL season, Brandin Cooks is still really, really fast.

The Cowboys wide receiver has promised reporters ever since he was acquired in March that he still has 4.3 speed. At Wednesday’s minicamp practice, he showcased it in flesh and blood with a highlight-reel demonstration, torching two defenders and collecting- in stride- a deep touchdown ball thrown by Dak Prescott.

Prescott reflected afterward on what that speed will bring to the Dallas offense this season.

“You saw it. It’s great. It’s beautiful,” he said. “Yeah, real speed. Runs the same way every time. I think that’s the most important thing. When you have speed like that, for him to be able to do it every play, every route, the start of every route, the cornerbacks, defense, they don’t know what they’re getting. It makes it all look the same.”

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Opposing defensive backs may not know what they’re getting, but those who have played with Cooks- and there are many, from his four previous stops throughout the league- knew what the Cowboys were getting when they traded for the former first-round draft pick.

After the trade went down, the first text message Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer got was from Drew Brees:

You are going to love this guy.

So far, there’s nothing not to love about Cooks that the Cowboys have seen, even if what they see most often goes by in a blur.

There’s even a good chance that Cooks is the fastest man on their current roster, although return specialist KaVontae Turpin might have something to say about that.

“Maybe it is Turp, you never know,” Cooks teased when prodded by reporters. “It might be C.J. [Goodwin].”

But Cooks says the truth may never be known definitively.

“We’re not going to find out; I ain’t doing a race or nothing at this point,” he laughed, later adding, “It’s one thing to be able to run fast, but to able to play fast…”

His speed on the field has been made plainly obvious. As for acclimating himself in the Cowboys locker room and making an impression on his new teammates and coaches, Cooks has been plenty fast doing that, too.

“Not only the speed, but I think he’s an exceptional route runner,” head coach Mike McCarthy said in a pre-practice press conference on Thursday. “He has a great understanding of the routes, time clocks, the specifics, getting in and out of breaks, the action release versus vertical release. … I think the biggest compliment you can give a receiver, particularly with his ability to go vertical, is when a corner is in a press-bail technique or he has total free access, and you still view him as a viable No. 1. That says something about Brandin.”

Just like he showed on that quick-strike score Wednesday. Cooks said it was important to “give them a little taste” of his fabled speed, but it was also crucial in establishing early the possibility of a regular downfield connection with Prescott.

“He can throw any ball,” Cooks said in the locker room Wednesday, “so to be able to experience that a little bit here before we break off into summer, that was definitely a good note to be able to end on.”

There will be more to come in training camp, but Cooks promises the two will also work together away from the facility between now and late July when the team reconvenes in Oxnard.

“He’s working on something,” Cooks said of Prescott, hinting at a summer slate of unofficial practice sessions at his quarterback’s backyard field. “Wherever it is, you know I’ll be there.”

And knowing Cooks, he’ll likely get there fast.

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