Dallas Cowboys land WR Brandin Cooks in trade with Houston Texans

The Cowboys have found another playmaker to add to their offense.

Dallas is sending a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft to Houston for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the team announced. The Cowboys pursued Cooks before last year’s deadline, but were unable to reach a deal with Houston.

While the Cowboys preferred to sign a veteran on the open market, trading for another weapon was still an option. Dallas wasn’t disposed to take part in any trade for a receiver who required a first- or second-round pick in return, two people with knowledge of the club’s thinking said. Since the Cowboys just acquired a player of Stephon Gilmore’s quality for a third-day pick in next month’s draft, it made the likelihood of them budging on this stance even more unlikely.

The best remaining receivers left in free agency are Odell Beckham Jr., Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark and Nelson Agholor.

For Dallas to complete a trade for a player like Cooks, a contract restructure would have to take place. Cooks had a base salary of $18 million and a cap hit of $26.4 million. The Texans agreed to pay $6 million of the receiver’s $18 million guaranteed salary, a person familiar with the situation said Sunday.

Cooks will join an offense that looked to replace the productivity of Amari Cooper, who was traded for a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns last offseason. The Oregon State product was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by New Orleans and has recorded 8,616 yards and 49 touchdowns through the air in nine seasons.

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This will be Cooks’ fifth NFL team, as he has played for the Saints, Patriots, Rams and Texans.

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