Will Cowboys unleash Brandin Cooks as a deep threat?

The Dallas Cowboys have been reluctant to throw the deep ball much but that could change as they gain confidence in Brandin Cooks.

Dallas Cowboys, Brandin Cooks. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys added veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans last year. Cooks appeared to be a perfect fit as the No. 2 wideout across from CeeDee Lamb but the Cowboys struggled to get him the ball early in the season.

Once he and Dak Prescott finally got comfortable, the numbers picked up. Cooks finished with 657 yards and eight touchdowns on 54 receptions. Looking ahead to 2024, the Cowboys will need more from him due to the departure of Michael Gallup. They should also look to stretch the field more with Cooks, who is known for his deep speed.

The question is whether or not Dallas will actually take advantage of that speed. For whatever reason, they've been hesitant to test defenses deep as much as they should. However, Nick Eatman of the Cowboys official website believes they will see more deep passes this year. In answering a mailbag question, Eatman says the comfort level with Dak and Cooks should be higher which will play a part in unleashing the long ball.

With another full offseason with Dak and Cooks working together, I bet we see a little more of that this year

- Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

Eatman correctly says there are a lot of advantages to taking these shots, even when they're not completed. Not only does it back the defense off, opening plays for others, but the chance of changing the momentum on a flag is there as well.

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"I'm all for going deep a little more than they do. And there's a lot of benefits to it, especially the way pass interference is called. You get a P.I. call 40 yards down the field and it completely changes the series and the field position. But with Cooks especially, I agree he has the speed and playmaking ability to get behind the defense." — Eatman

Dallas fans know all too well how quickly a game can change when a PI call flips the field. A painful reminder was when the Las Vegas Raiders pulled off an overtime win during the 2021 season after being gifted 91 yards on pass-interference calls against Anthony Brown.

Perhaps they can benefit from some of these flags by letting Cooks use his speed. Even without drawing flags, however, the benefits are easy to see when a team opens up their offense.

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