The Dallas Cowboys ruled out wide receiver Brandin Cooks for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers because of what head coach Mike McCarthy labeled a “knee issue.”
Cooks, 31, has an infection in his right knee, which developed after he had a procedure following the Cowboys’ win over the New York Giants on Thursday, ESPN reported. McCarthy declined to get into specifics Wednesday.
“The specifics should be answered by the players,” McCarthy said. “But he will not be available this week.”
Cooks has dealt with a knee issue since training camp. He was listed on the Cowboys’ midweek injury report prior to their Week 2 matchup against the Saints and was a limited participant on a rest designation in Week 3, but did not appear on the team’s injury report before the Week 4 game against the Giants. He has played at least 79 percent of Dallas’ snaps in every game.
The Cowboys acquired Cooks via a trade with the Houston Texans during the 2023 offseason. Since joining the team, Cooks has been the Cowboys’ second-most targeted wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. Last season, Cooks posted the second-highest success rate of his career (59.3 percent) while scoring eight touchdowns, his most since his final year with the New Orleans Saints in 2016.
Despite struggles through the first four games of this season, Cooks is tied with Jalen Tolbert for the second-most targets among Cowboys wide receivers at 19.
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What will Dallas do without Cooks?
If Cooks is out for an extended period, it would certainly provide a reason for the Cowboys to reach out about Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams, who recently requested a trade. But it’s far more likely that the Cowboys focus on their own roster and use this situation to give more opportunities to wide receivers like Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin and Ryan Flournoy. McCarthy said Wednesday the Cowboys will stay inside the building to replace him.
It’s not a great time for Dallas to be dealing with another notable injury when it is already going to be without top defenders Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. McCarthy is in a tough spot, being in the final year of his contract. It’ll certainly say a lot about his coaching if he’s able to keep the ship afloat during what should be a very tough stretch. — Jon Machota, Cowboys staff writer
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(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
