During the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys added veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks by way of a trade with the Houston Texans with most expecting him to be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. But that’s not how it’s worked out.
So far this season, Brandin Cooks has just 17 catches for 165 yards – far less production than anyone would have expected when the team added him. But during a press conference this week, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy downplayed Cooks’ lack of production and any concerns about his role with the team.
“Nothing happened,” McCarthy said according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. “He was a big part of the production. We had a tremendous amount of production in the pass game and Brandin and all the guys are part of that. I get it. You want to see the ball spread out to everybody, which it was. Anytime a guy comes up short, you want to see him get more targets and more opportunities. He’s as good of a pro as I’ve worked with and we’ll definitely focus on that moving forward. But he’s still part of that production.”
McCarthy had a pretty brutal and blunt message to those questioning the way Cooks has been used in the offense this season.
“I don’t play fantasy football,” McCarthy said. “We have game plans, and I think it’s important and this is a challenge for guys because our system is built on making the quarterback successful. That’s the way this passing game is taught. It’s the way I’ve learned it. It’s the way it has always been the last 30 years.”
McCarthy may not like the questioning, but with Cooks currently on pace for the worst season of his career, it’s fair to wonder what’s happening.
