Tag: Brandin Cooks

WATCH: Brandin Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day

Brandin Cooks’ 98-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day. His field-crossing score broke a team record that stood since the Saints’ inaugural season:

There are 98 days to go until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 season, which means Brandin Cooks’ franchise-record 98-yard touchdown catch is our Saints Play of the Day.

Cooks got a step on Raiders cornerback Sean Smith that gave Drew Brees enough room to fit the pass in over the coverage; Cooks caught it in stride and used his straight-line speed to cross the field for a score. Talk about a great way to build some momentum in the 2016 season-opener.

It was a historic play, breaking a Saints record that had stood since 1967. Walter Roberts only caught 17 passes for the Saints in their inaugural season but he gained 384 yards on them, including a 96-yarder that remained the longest gain in franchise history for decades.

As for Cooks? He was traded after the 2016 season and spent time with a couple of different Super Bowl contenders including the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and most recently, the Dallas Cowboys. But he’s still chasing that championship ring. Cooks appeared in more games for the Houston Texans (44) than any team but the Saints (42), who drafted him back in 2014 out of Oregon State.

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Pressure Cooker: Cowboys wideout must be better in 2024

No. 2 WRs are more important to an offense’s output than often given credit, making Brandin Cooks key for the Cowboys in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

Brandin Cooks heads into the 2024 slotted as the No. 2 receiver on the Cowboys offense. With CeeDee Lamb locked in as the alpha and Jalen Tolbert the aspiring, young No. 3, Cooks is in an important role. Not only must he offer the stability absent from the unproven Tolbert’s game, but he keeps pressure off Lamb who figures to again vie for All-Pro status.

Secondary WRs are one of the more underrated positions in the NFL. A common feeling is that anyone can fill a WR2 role when an elite player is in place at the top. This line of thinking couldn’t be more wrong since WR2s and WR3s have a stronger correlation to a team’s passing EPA that the WR1. It divides a defense’s attention and exposes depth issues in a secondary.

There are plenty of teams who have an elite cornerback on their roster but not many who have depth down the ranks. The real match-up advantages for the Cowboys come against a defense’s second or third CB because the drop off in talent at CB is s significant and single coverage at some point is inevitable.

Cooks’ 2023 season was, in some ways, the worst of his career. His yards/game marked a career low, and his 81 targets were far below his career average of 104.5. Still, the Cowboys passing offense hummed. Not only did they finish second in the NFL in EPA/dropback, but Dak Prescott finished second in league MVP voting.

It showed the Cowboys didn’t need him to be elite for the passing attack to be elite. It also showed the Cowboys had enough weapons behind Lamb to not be dependent on any one player.

That was then and this is now. Dallas parted ways with Michael Gallup over the offseason and as mentioned earlier, Tolbert is the likely replacement. It’s possible Tolbert replaces Gallup seamlessly, but the Cowboys have to prepare for the worst even if they’re hoping for the best. That means Cooks should be ready to pick up the slack this season and carry a bigger load than he did in 2023.

Even at age 30, Cooks has high-end speed at the WR position. His route running and overall consistency are noteworthy and something Prescott could lean on if Dallas struggles at WR3. The pressure for Cooks to carry a bigger load is rather significant but all indications are he’ll be up to the task if called upon.

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New Orleans Saints game previews: Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender?

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2 of the 2024 regular season, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender? Or are the Cowboys really just pretenders? Mike McCarthy’s team has yet to get over the hump in January, but Dennis Allen’s squad hasn’t even gotten that far.

Either way, they’re a challenging opponent. Dallas has a better record at home (.778) than anyone else in the NFL since 2021, including the playoffs. They’ve made the playoffs in each of the last three years. It would mean a lot for the Saints to stroll into Jerry Jones’ palace and leave with a win.

And it’s been a while since the Saints won in Dallas. The Cowboys haven’t lost to the black and gold in front of their home crowd since 2012, when the Saints won by a field goal in overtime. They’ve traded wins and losses since then but Dallas still leads the all-time series by a margin of 18-13. The Cowboys were also victorious in their last meeting; they beat the Saints 27-17 in New Orleans back in 2021. Taysom Hill started that game at quarterback but completed just 19 of his 41 pass attempts while being intercepted four times. It was a rough watch.

Since then the Cowboys have been quiet in free agency, though they have added playmakers like wide receiver Brandin Cooks (the former Saints wideout) in trades. They lost a lot on the open market this spring including left tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, and running back Tony Pollard plus defensive ends Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Dante Fowler Jr. Their biggest addition might be a reunion with running back Ezekiel Elliott after his awkward year with the New England Patriots.

In the draft, Dallas started out by trading down with the Detroit Lions to draft Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton, who is converting to the left side (just like his Saints counterpart Taliese Fuaga). The Cowboys also drafted Western  Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and used a pick they got back from the Lions on Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, who is competing to start at center. So it’ll be a young Cowboys offensive line working to protect Dak Prescott.

Is that a matchup the Saints defensive line can take advantage of? Maybe. This could be a real statement win if New Orleans is up to the task. Be sure to circle the date on your calendar:

  • Game information: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
  • Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
  • Date: Sept. 15
  • Time: Noon CT / 1p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX

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ESPN picks a new team for former Saints All-Pro Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas is one of many former Saints players still available in free agency, but ESPN’s Matt Bowen has an idea of where he should take his talents:

Where will Michael Thomas be playing football in 2024? The former New Orleans Saints All-Pro is still waiting to find the right fit as a free agent, along with a dozen of his teammates from last year’s Saints team. With the clock ticking down until training camp, it’s looking like a long summer might be ahead of him until he finds the right landing spot.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen matched some of the best remaining free agents with possible team fits ahead of training camp, and he has a clear pick for Thomas. Here’s why he argues the Dallas Cowboys should give Thomas a call:

When healthy, Thomas can still uncover and work multiple levels of the field. However, the injury concerns are legit, as the 31-year-old wide receiver has played in just 20 games over the past four seasons. And while Thomas could wait until after camps start to find the best landing spot, let’s focus on Dallas as a possibility; he could make an impact there on a one-year deal.

In Mike McCarthy’s offense, Thomas could compete with Jalen Tolbert for the No. 3 role alongside CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. He could align as a boundary X and show his ability to work the seams out of the slot. He caught 39 passes in 2023 for 448 yards and a score.

It’s an interesting fit for a couple of different reasons. For one thing, the Saints are going to Dallas in Week 2 this year, so Thomas would get an early shot at taking down his former team. For another, he would be reuniting with Brandin Cooks. Thomas and Cooks played together back in 2016, his rookie  year, and ironically it was Thomas taking targets away from Cooks that resulted in Cooks getting traded to the New England Patriots the next offseason.

How would Saints fans feel about this? Thomas has become a divisive figure among the fanbase for publicly criticizing Dennis Allen, Derek Carr, and the team medical staff on social media. The Cowboys are very much seen as rivals for the Saints given their proximity, and both fanbases always travel well to cheer on their team against one another. There would be some friction between some fans and their former favorite player, to say the least.

Still, this is all speculation at best. Thomas can still help a team win football games even with his extensive injury history, and chances are he’ll be playing somewhere in the fall. As to the odds of him suiting up for a team that’s competing against the Saints? That’s anyone’s guess.

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Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert looking forward to bigger role, smaller jersey number in 2023

From @ToddBrock24f7: Tolbert will wear No. 1 this season and aim to get a stranglehold on the team’s WR3 slot, with a little help from veteran Brandin Cooks.

Among the Cowboys players who took a giant leap from 2022 to 2023 was wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. The third-round pick out of South Alabama was practically invisible within the Dallas offense as a rookie, catching just two balls on the season for 12 yards across eight game appearances.

Things took a dramatic turn for the better last year, with the 25-year-old seeing action in every contest of the season, watching his targets go up by 1,100%, and scoring his first two NFL touchdowns, all while becoming a more trusted part of Dak Prescott’s pass-catching arsenal.

Last season, Tolbert was vying with Michael Gallup for reps. Now Gallup is gone, and the WR3 spot is there for the taking.

Tolbert plans to make the most of his coming chance.

“Having an opportunity to fill a role in the offense and be able to step up and make a lot more plays for the offense- and for the team as well- is special,” Tolbert told reporters from the dugout at last week’s Reliant Home Run Derby charity event, “and I’m looking forward to doing it and continuing to grow each and every day to be what the team needs me to be.”

Helping him get there is Brandin Cooks. The 11th-year veteran was cast into a strong mentorship role in his first season with the Cowboys, but he’s taking it even further this year. And he’s treating Tolbert as his protege, already hosting him at his home in Oregon for over a week this offseason.

“He came out [for] just a couple days last year, but I wanted to have him out there a little longer this year, just kind of show him the ropes,” Cooks said last week. “For me, I remember Steve Smith let me stay at his house for a couple weeks when I was young. It’s all about passing it along, right? You gain knowledge, you pass it along. That’s what this game is all about.”

Cooks believes that Tolbert has the goods to take an even bigger step in this, his third season in the pros.

“The kid is special,” Cooks explained. “The ability, the talent is there. I just look forward to him really getting his shot and being out there.”

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Tolbert readily admits that he’s looking to “just go out there and chase greatness,” and he maintains he’s as confident as ever now that he’ll be returning for a second straight year of Mike McCarthy’s offensive gameplan.

If there were any questions about the lofty expectations Tolbert has for himself, he’ll make that crystal-clear when he takes the field wearing the No. 1 jersey for the Cowboys in 2023.

“It’s a blessing,” he said of the switch. “Not a lot of people get to, obviously, play for the Dallas Cowboys, but to also be able to wear a single digit and one that holds a little value like that one. Like I say, I love the opportunity that I have in front of me and looking forward to representing that No. 1 well, just as Cedrick Wilson did when he had it on.”

Wilson was a versatile role-player on the team for three seasons. With the same kind of incremental jump this year that he took from Year One to Year Two, though, Tolbert could blow past Wilson statistically and truly make the No. 1 jersey his own, after short- and largely forgettable- stints in it by Jayron Kearse and Kelvin Joseph.

For Tolbert, this is the year to cement his place as a legitimate receiving threat and start attacking even bigger goals.

“Not to set them too high,” he said, “but, I mean, do what a lot of people think that I can’t do and that I know that I can do. That’s my goal, is to go out and prove to myself that I am who I say I am.”

He’s already proving it to his 30-year-old teammate and mentor.

“With Brandin Cooks coming in and being a mentor to me helped me a lot in understanding the game and the little things that you need to be great at this level. He’s done it for a long time, so having him in my corner as well is special,” Tolbert said.

“I know one thing for sure: he’s not going to let me fail, and I’m not going to let myself fail, so that’s a good situation to be in.”

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Cowboys’ Cooks, Kendricks to battle Saints players… in cornhole

From @ToddBrock24f7: Bills and Patriots players will also compete, paired up with American Cornhole League pros in a test of skills to be aired on ESPN2.

Brandin Cooks has shown himself to be a man of many talents. The wide receiver known as “The Archer” is a licensed pilot in his spare time but is ready to get back to running routes and catching touchdown passes from Dak Prescott.

Eric Kendricks is the Cowboys’ newest addition, a Pro Bowl and All-Pro linebacker who’s played nine years in the league. He’ll reunite this season with his former coach Mike Zimmer, who is now the defensive coordinator in Dallas.

But first, both will step onto a competition field of a different sort, to take on members of the New Orleans Saints in the American Cornhole League (ACL)’s Superhole Celebrity Series.

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Cooks will square off against Saints quarterback Derek Carr, and Kendricks will face New Orleans wide receiver Juwan Johnson in an event to be aired live on ESPN2 this Saturday night. Bills defensive lineman Daquan Jones will also go against Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon, and New England wide receiver Kendrick Bourne will battle Buffalo offensive lineman Dion Dawkins; all NFL stars will be paired with current ACL pros in a bracket that will ultimately crown the Superhole V champion.

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The NFL has been well represented in the ACL’s Celebrity Series in years past. Ex-quarterback Doug Flutie won back-to-back championships in Superhole II and Superhole III in 2021 and 2022.

This weekend’s Superhole Celebrity matches will take place Saturday night in the New Orleans metro area, with tickets available to the public.

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Here’s how the Cowboys 10 WRs impact the 2024 salary cap

A breakdown of the Cowboys wide receiver room’s contracts and impact on the salary cap as the club enters the team building phase. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The Cowboys have 10 wide receivers under contract for 2024 and the new league year hasn’t even begun. To an outsider looking in, it may feel like Dallas does not have much room to add to this position group. A deep dive into contract specifics muddies the waters and calls into question the total amount of money that goes to the group.

Wideout CeeDee Lamb is the unquestioned leader of this group and figures to command a large payday. Behind him, sits a collection of varying degrees of pedigree, skill and experience.  Opportunity lurks just around the corner but trust must be earned by both the coaching staff and the quarterback as well, as evidenced by the volume directed at Lamb.

After checking out both the quarterback room and the running backs, here’s a look at the financial breakdown of all of the wideouts on the Cowboys 2024 roster in February.

Watch: 5 best catches of the Cowboys 2023 season

From CeeDee Lamb to Jake Ferguson, these are the five best catches from the Dallas Cowboys on the 2023 season. | From @BenGrimaldi

The season has been over for a few weeks now for the Dallas Cowboys, and despite the disappointment of how it ended there were plenty of good moments to remember. For the offense, it might have taken a handful of weeks to get going, but the Cowboys wound up the No. 1 scoring team in the league at almost 30 points a game.

A large part of the offensive success was because of the passing game, which ranked third in the league in yards and helped quarterback Dak Prescott lead the NFL in passing touchdowns. There were some big plays and improbable catches to aid in their passing attack. Here are the five best catches for the 2023 season for the Cowboys.

Fantasy football waiver wire: Week 18 free-agent forecast

Check out the top waiver-wire targets for Week 18.

Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.

Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.

Cooking in silence among 3 things learned about Cowboys in Week 17 win

The Cowboys learned about their punt return unit, Brandin Cooks and the trustworthiness of their defense in their Week 17 win over the Lions. | From @ReidDHanson

Every game is a learning opportunity and the Cowboys’ Week 17 performance against Detroit is no exception. Their 20-19 win narrowly avoided an upset at home and officially put Dallas’ two-game losing streak in the rearview mirror.

Over the last month some trends have begun to immerge. The Cowboys of today have taken on a new identity in many ways, and more than a few things have been learned of this playoff-bound franchise. With just one game remaining until the postseason the Cowboys either have to accept where they are as a team or change their approach on the more problematic issues plaguing them.