Why isn't Brandin Cooks playing tonight vs Eagles? Week 9 update on Texans WR
Ahead of Thursday night’s matchup against the highly-touted Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks was ruled out of the game for personal reasons.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news early Thursday morning.
Texans’ WR Brandin Cooks will not play tonight vs. the Eagles, per ESPN’s @WerderEdESPN. Cooks has missed practice for what the team has described as personal reasons. He had hoped to be traded to a playoff contender.
Cooks has missed practice the last few days due to personal reasons. He was expecting to be traded by the November 1st deadline. However, the Texans decided to hold onto him, tying him down to the team for the remainder of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys were reportedly close to landing Cooks. They gave the Texans an offer, but his $18 million cap hit for next season was too much for them to take on.
Sources: Brandin Cooks will be inactive as team doesn’t believe he’s prepared to player after being absent from meetings and practices. He expected to be traded Tuesday. But guaranteed $18M for 2023 made it impossible to close a deal, the last potential partner being the Cowboys.
The Texans will be without Brandin Cooks and Nico Collins, but will have Phillip Dorsett, Chris Moore, and Tyron Johnson as active receivers.
The 1-5-1 Texans are 13.5-point underdogs at home against the 7-0 Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are eight-on-one favorites at -800 on the moneyline, while the Texans are massive +550 underdogs.
Brandin Cooks' journey around the NFL
Brandin Cooks is no stranger to the trade block. In his eight-and-a-half-year career, he has been traded three times.
On March 10, 2017, he was traded to the New England Patriots from the New Orleans Saints.
The Patriots traded their 2017 first-round and third-round draft picks to the Saints for Cooks and a 2017 fourth-round draft pick. On April 29, 2017, the Patriots elected to pick up the fifth-year option on Cooks' contract.
He played for the Patriots for just a season before they traded him to the Los Angeles Rams.
On April 3, 2018, the Patriots traded Cooks and a fourth-round draft pick to the Rams in exchange for a first-round pick and a sixth-round pick. On July 17, 2018, Cooks signed a five-year, $81 million extension with the Rams with $50.5 million guaranteed. The wideout would only play two seasons with the Rams.
On April 10, 2020, Los Angeles traded Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Sometimes, being traded can be a good thing for a player, depending on their situation. In Cook's situation, he wishes he could have been traded a few days ago.