The Houston Texans may not have the superstars they did two years ago, but they still have players on the roster that serve as shining examples of consistent play and determined work ethic.
Ben McDaniels was the assistant receivers coach in 2021 as part of new coach David Culley’s staff. Over the course of the year, working with receivers coach Robert Prince, McDaniels was able to know Brandin Cooks and discover how exemplary the former 2014 first-round pick truly is.
“Cookie is a special guy,” McDaniels said. “He’s a great pro. He’s a special person. He’s a leader in the receiver room. He’s a leader in our locker room. He’s a leader currently for the receiver room, a pretty young room, and really I would say, for all our young players, he really represents someone that they should watch and learn from.”
Although the Texans have posted just four wins in each of their past two seasons with Cooks on the roster, the 5-10, 183-pound wideout has done his part to give Houston a chance to win games. Cooks has recorded 1,000-yard seasons in consecutive years and caught a career-high 90 passes in 2021.
McDaniels will be more than an assistant position coach under Lovie Smith, who takes over for Culley after one season. McDaniels is doubling up as receivers coach and also passing game coordinator, but is ready for the challenge so long as Cooks remains a part of the offense.
“I’m grateful to be in the room with him,” said McDaniels. “I enjoyed it a year ago getting to know him both as a person and as a player and have the utmost respect for what he has done and what he will continue to do.”
Cooks is set to carry a salary cap figure of $16,205,882 in 2022, according to data from Over The Cap.