The Cleveland Browns were wise to stay out of the Brandin Cooks trade

The Cleveland Browns did the smart thing by not pursuing Brandin Cooks.

The Dallas Cowboys picked up Brandin Cooks this past weekend from the Houston Texans for just a 5th-round pick this year and a sixth-round pick next year. The addition of Cooks will give the Cowboys and their quarterback Dak Prescott another weapon in a new Ezekiel Elliot-less world. The Cowboys look to be mimicking the Browns in 2023 by opening up their offense and hoping to air it out a bit more.

Hence the addition of Cooks. The Browns are in need of another wide receiver, and with Adam Thielen heading off to the Carolina Panthers, and now Cooks being dealt, the options are getting a bit shallow. Odell Beckham and DeAndre Hopkins are still in play, but many hoped the Browns would land Cooks.

Cooks, who would’ve been a fine weapon in 2022, was no longer the type of player the Browns needed. Cooks may be worth two-late round picks, but the Browns need more than what Cooks can provide at this point in his career.

The Cleveland Browns need more than Brandin Cooks can provide

Cooks carries a $12 million cap hit this year, and while you can restructure that to some degree, the Browns need to be far more frugal with their money. Cooks fell off a lot in 2022, he had just 699 yards receiving, with three touchdowns and just under 100 targets on the season. While there are some explainers there, like he missed four games in 2022 and had Davis Mills at quarterback, he also missed time in 2021 and had Mills at quarterback. Despite that, Cooks had a decent 2021, posting over 1,000 yards receiving, six touchdowns, and was targeted 134 times, a career-high.

He was targeted 8.3 times in ’21, while his targets fell to 7.1 in ’22. He hasn’t played a full season since 2018, and his overall skillset is starting to decline slightly. He’s a formerly speedy receiver who’s turning 30 this year and has a history of injury issues.

In his prime, he was a solid number two, but we’re not sure if he’s still in his prime anymore and if he is if that would be enough to help the Browns open things up. It’s possible that Cooks is a better player right now, but the Browns need to hope that a guy like Hopkins or Beckham is capable of higher ceilings, despite their own injury issues.

In the best-case scenario, Hopkins and Beckham give the Browns a better player, but worst-case scenario they should’ve been more aggressive in trying to land Cooks. Nothing is for certain, however, that’s why you hope that the guys with All-Pro caliber seasons can come close to what they were. If acquiring them pays off, then that gamble could get you to the playoffs and beyond, something the Browns need to do.