Some felt the Dallas Cowboys would use one of their picks during the first two days of the NFL Draft to add another wide receiver, but they elected to wait until the seventh round to take Jalen Brooks out of South Carolina. 

The reason the Cowboys had that luxury was what they did in free agency by trading for Brandin Cooks. Immediately, the Cowboys got a starting caliber weapon in the passing game and someone to free up CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.

Dallas traded for veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore less than a week before they acquired Cooks, and they also added Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the draft who is expected to have a huge impact as a rookie. However, according to Pro Football Focus, Cooks will be the x-factor for the Cowboys in 2023.

Part of Prescott’s struggles can be attributed to a lack of depth in the Cowboys’ receiving corps. CeeDee Lamb (87.0 receiving grade) is excellent, but no other wide receiver on the roster graded above 70.0. Cooks adds a ton of experience to the group and is a vertical threat. If he can stretch the field and allow Lamb to work his magic underneath, Dallas’ passing game gets a lot more dangerous.

At first glance, Cooks and his 5'10" and 183-pound scream that he's a slot receiver. While he's more than capable of producing from that area, Cooks has taken over 2,000 more reps as an outside receiver during his NFL career. 

This works out great for the Cowboys because a healthy Gallup will give them another threat on the outside with Cooks, and Lamb has been a nightmare for opposing defenses to cover in the slot so he can do more work there. It creates a pick-your-poison type of situation when it comes to stopping the Cowboys' passing attack. 

Cowboys' receivers were the worst at getting separation in 2022. So, Cooks and his excellent speed and top-notch route-running ability will assist quarterback Dak Prescott in getting the ball out earlier which will cut down his interceptions from last season (led the league with 15).

Cooks will be able to make defenses mindful of their sideline-to-sideline coverage as well as being on point with their assignments going deep due to his versatility. What that does is it gives Lamb and Gallup more chances to put defensive backs in a blender with single coverage, and the more they can be effective as a unit, it will open up Tony Pollard and the running game as well.

The sky is the limit for what the Cowboys will be able to do offensively with Cooks on the roster.