National media outlet's pick for Cowboys' most underappreciated player is perfectly accurate
Recently, Tom Blair from NFL.com took on the endeavor of putting together a list with each team's "most underappreciated player." And I've got to say, I was highly curious about who would be the choice for the Dallas Cowboys.I've got to say, I absolutely loved it as I believed it to be perfectly accurate: Wide […]
Recently, Tom Blair from NFL.com took on the endeavor of putting together a list with each team's "most underappreciated player." And I've got to say, I was highly curious about who would be the choice for the Dallas Cowboys.
I've got to say, I absolutely loved it as I believed it to be perfectly accurate: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
Exactly a week ago and a few days before the above article was posted, I wrote an article about Cooks sending a reminder that he could still play at a high level despite his willingness to adopt the role of the veteran leader in the locker room that's dishing out advice to the young ones on the roster.
Although highly admirable, Cooks' new teacher role seems to be getting the most attention from the media when he remains the No. 2 wide receiver of the Cowboys and is on the rise in Dallas. Despite a slow start in 2023, Cooks became an important weapon for Dak Prescott in the back half of the season, scoring nine touchdowns in the last nine games of the season.
Cooks himself has recently talked about his still being a playmaker despite the wiser version of himself.
"I'm ready to rock," Cooks recently told reporters. "Don't get me wrong, I'm a leader, but at the same time, I'm a playmaker. In my mindset, I just look forward to getting this season going and hitting that stride like I know I'm capable of in this offense. I'll lead from a teammate standpoint and go out there and make a lot more plays than I did last year."
As far as why he's underappreciated, Blair adds he's been that way before he even became a member of the Cowboys, breaking it down as follows:
Cooks has definitely been appreciated by NFL teams, who have paid him plenty and traded for him several times since he was drafted in 2014. But he's never made the Pro Bowl or first-team All-Pro, and in four of his six 1,000-yard seasons, his team had a losing record, meaning he's spent a good portion of his career on the fringes of the competitive landscape. So even before 2023, he probably could have qualified for a "lifetime underappreciation award." Now — as even he would admit — he is no longer the top pass-catching option on the field. That said, he's kept his per-catch mark above 12 yards over the past two seasons, and he says he's "ready to rock" after picking things up in the second half last season. The volume might not be there, but he's a consummate pro who can still play an important role for Dallas.
Can Brandin Cooks reach 1,000 yards in 2024?
Last year, Cooks ended the season with 657 yards, and that was even with a slow start to the year in which he averaged 23.5 yards per game for the first six games.
Entering 2024, there are reasons to believe he could get his seventh 1,000-yard season. First of all, it'll be his second year working with Dak Prescott, something he recently pointed to when talking about why he expects an improved year.
But that's not it: The Cowboys adopted a much more aggressive pass-happy mindset halfway through the season, which led to Dak ending the season as the runner up to MVP.
If the Cowboys stay on that wavelength starting since Week 1, the overall receiving numbers could go way up for Cooks and Co. Be it as it may, Cooks is likely still going to fly under the radar for many. Will he manage to put the league on notice?
