Cowboys' Top Hypothetical Trade Packages for Brandin Cooks
Following another disappointing early playoff exit, the Dallas Cowboys are looking to rebound in a bit way in 2024.
"We can be better," franchise owner Jerry Jones said, per ESPN's Todd Archer.
Getting better, at least on paper, will begin on March 13 at the onset of free agency. However, Dallas is facing a $4 million cap deficit and will need to generate more room to become a major player on the open market.
One option the Cowboys must consider is trading wideout Brandin Cooks. Cooks, who was acquired in a 2023 trade, was a serviceable No. 2 receiver but finished with just 657 receiving yards.
Trading Cooks before March 18 would save $4 million in cap space, and it wouldn't mark the first time Dallas has dumped a productive receiver for cap purposes. Two offseasons ago, the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a mere fifth-round pick and a swapping of sixth-round selections.
As was the case with Cooper, Dallas could easily value the additional cap flexibility more than the return in a Cooks trade.
What could the Cowboys expect in return? Let's examine three hypothetical trade packages that would make sense for all parties involved.
Cleveland Browns
1 of 3
The Package: Browns trade a 2024 fifth-round pick (from Philadelphia, 155th overall) for WR Brandin Cooks
Dallas should heavily consider making another receiver trade with Cleveland, and not simply because the two have done business before.
Cleveland needs receiver depth behind Cooper, and last year's trade for Elijah Moore didn't yield the desired return. Moore was decent enough as a complementary option (640 yards, 2 TDs), but he wasn't great.
Cooks would be a logical target for the Browns because he still possesses field-stretching speed and because of his prior experience playing with Deshaun Watson. The two spent the 2020 season together with the Houston Texans. Cooks finished that year with 1,150 yards and six touchdowns, while Watson made his last Pro Bowl appearance.
Cleveland has just $2.4 million in projected cap space and would have to create room to acquire Cooks, but his $8 million base salary is relatively reasonable.
Because Cooks' salary isn't as unwieldy as Coopers' was in 2022, Dallas should be able to get a relatively similar trade return.
Arizona Cardinals
2 of 3
The Package: Arizona trades a 2024 sixth-round pick (188th overall) and a 2025 fifth-round pick for WR Brandin Cooks
If the Browns aren't interested in Cooks, the Arizona Cardinals might be. Arizona is prepared to move forward with Kyler Murray at quarterback, and it must focus on surrounding Murray with better receiving talent.
The Cardinals' 2022 trade for Marquise Brown didn't exactly pay off. They traded a first-round pick to acquire Brown and third-round pick from the Baltimore Ravens, but Brown has underwhelmed.
Yes, Murray's torn ACL played a role over the past two seasons, but Brown still only produced 12,83 yards and seven touchdowns in that span. With a projected market value of $14.8 million annually, Brown may be too pricey for the Cardinals to justify retaining.
Still possessing plenty of speed and downfield ability, Cooks would be a viable budget alternative for Arizona. Adding him could allow the Cardinals to spend more of their $51.8 million in projected cap space on other pieces of the receiving puzzle.
Since the Cardinals are selecting highly in the draft order, though, they may not be willing to offer up a 24 fifth-round selection in a trade.
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 3
The Package: Baltimore trades a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2024 seventh-round pick (from Jets, 226th overall) for WR Brandin Cooks and a 2024 seventh-round pick (242nd overall)
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was again the league MVP in 2023. He showed continued growth as a passer under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, though the arrival of Nelson Agholor, Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Zay Flowers certainly helped too.
Baltimore, though, could look to move on from Beckham. The 31-year-old will be a free agent next week, and he saw a reduced role in the offense late in the season.
Cooks would be a logical replacement for Beckham in Baltimore's lineup, given their similar skill set. His relatively reasonable salary could also benefit the Ravens, who have just $16.5 million in projected cap space.
The 2024 free-agent receiver class is deep, but that doesn't mean that quality pass-catchers will suddenly become affordable.
Since the Ravens pick late in the draft order, Dallas could conceivably pry a bit more draft capital—in the form of a seventh-round swap, in this hypothetical trade—than it might from a team like Cleveland.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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