![]() ![]() It's subtle, but that's all Cooks needs to create gobs of separation of his break on the out route. Once he eats up the cornerback's cushion, notice how the cornerback has to respect Cooks' vertical speed so he continues to slightly drift downfield right as Cooks initiates his break. This makes it tough for the cornerback to remain patient, forcing him to react - whether it's opening his hips from backpedal when Cooks sells a vertical route or driving forward when Cooks sells a stop or hard-breaking route - in a way that Cook' can counter and take advantage of.Ĭooks - aligned on the outside to the bottom of the screen against off-coverage - does an excellent job exploding off the line of scrimmage with his chest over his knees and his knees over his toes to sell the vertical route. The 29-year-old receiver excels at “stepping on the cornerback's toes” against off-coverage, which just means he makes sure to eat up the coverage defender's cushion (given the route concept called) before initiating his break. When opposing defenses struggle to get physical with him at the line of scrimmage, they typically opt to play more off-coverage to give their cornerbacks a better chance however, Cooks has a well-stocked plan to earn separation against those types of coverages as well. Unfortunately for the cornerbacks, Cooks know this too, so he uses excellent footwork, pace manipulation and well-developed hand-fighting to maintain freedom of movement within the route, enabling him to use consistently create separation across the route tree. Due to his size, speed and movement skills, most outside cornerbacks can't match his routes without using physicality to slow and control Cooks' pace. The key for Cooks on the outside is his ability to defeat press coverage. Despite playing with multiple of sub-par quarterbacks in Houston, Cooks was able to maintain adequate levels of productivity, finishing with at least 1,000 receiving yards and six touchdowns in two out of the last three seasons.Įven though his lack of size would lead many to believe he's a slot-only option, Cooks has actually done most of his damage throughout his career on the outside, showing good enough route running to create separation on the outside against bigger cornerbacks. Listed at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds with 4.33 speed, Cooks provides the Cowboys with the perfect receiver to complement Dallas' alpha receiver - CeeDee Lamb. The gravy on top is the fact that the Texans will pay $6 million of the $18 million owed to Cooks this year, meaning this trade will also keep the Cowboys' salary cap healthy. Now, the Cowboys have gone back to the trade market to acquire another veteran, as they sent a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who Dallas offered a third-round pick for at the 2022 trade deadline - the Texans are likely kicking themselves for not taking that previous trade package, as they received much less trade compensation this time. Outside of re-signing a couple of key contributors, the Dallas Cowboys have largely been absent from 2023's NFL free-agent frenzy nonetheless, that hasn't stopped them from upgrading their roster, as they sent a fifth-round compensatory pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts for star cornerback Stephon “Gilly Lock” Gilmore in a move that makes the Dallas secondary one of the best in the NFL. Draft implications: Cooks' presence provides the Cowboys with the flexibility to go in myriad directions with their first-round pick.Immediate upgrade: Cooks represents an immediate upgrade to Dallas' WR corps due to his ability to maintain effectiveness whether he's aligned outside and in the slot.Trade: The Dallas Cowboys traded a 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. ![]()
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