After signing Brandin Cooks, the Dallas Cowboys anticipated that he would be CeeDee Lamb’s backup wide receiver. However, that didn’t exactly work out in the first half of the season.
Cooks, a six-time 1,000-yard receiver, had only 17 catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns in his first seven games as a Cowboy. Cooks missed a game in Week 2 against the New York Jets, so it could have been related to injuries. It could also have been because other pass-catchers took priority over him. But one thing is certain: Cooks remained unfazed by his lack of output.
Cooks declared earlier this week, “I’m not going down that path.” “I took that route early in my career, and it’s bad for your mental health and the mental health of the guys around you. When I say that I trust it, I mean that I trust the offense, Coach (Mike McCarthy), and Dak (Prescott). It will eventually arrive, and you will be aware of it.”
Cooks finally had his first major game as a Cowboy on Sunday against the New York Giants, demonstrating the great value of his patience. With nine receptions for 173 yards—more than he had all season—and a touchdown, Cooks was all over the field. On a day when the Cowboys crushed their opponents 49-17, the ten-year veteran led the team in receiving.
Said Cooks after the win, reflecting on the Bible’s Galatians 6:9-10: “Don’t grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.”
The fact that Cooks flourished alongside the Cowboys’ other receivers is the best part. Lamb recorded a touchdown and 151 yards on 11 receptions, his fourth straight game with at least 100 yards. Jake Ferguson added 26 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, Michael Gallup caught two passes for 70 yards and a touchdown, and so on. The Cowboys were successful when Cooks got the ball.
Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys, stated, “We know that he just looks like a rocket coming out of there.”
“You can see his acceleration, and it catches your attention when you see it in an NFL game or in real life when he has the ball in his hands. It becomes more flexible for additional elements of our offensive the more of that you do.”
With his performance on Sunday, Cooks more than lived up to his promise that he would be ready for a bigger opportunity.