{"id":32585,"date":"2025-03-13T00:51:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T00:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=32585"},"modified":"2025-03-13T00:51:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T00:51:54","slug":"cowboys-veteran-star-fires-parting-shots-at-coach-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=32585","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Veteran Star Fires Parting Shots At Coach"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to taking a subtle dig or two at his former Cowboys coach? Brandin Cooks apparently has “nothing to hide” at all.<\/p>\n

FRISCO – The veteran Brandin Cooks came to the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0two years ago with a fine reputation as a locker-room leader and a pro’s pro.<\/p>\n

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S\u00e2n ch\u01a1i \u0111\u1eb3ng c\u1ea5p! Th\u01b0\u1edfng ho\u00e0n v\u00f4 h\u1ea1n!<\/a><\/div>\n
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So when he speaks in a way that he knows might ruffle some feathers?<\/p>\n

His locker room pays attention. And so do we.<\/p>\n

Cooks is now entering free agency for the first time in his 11-year career this offseason, after the oft-traded standout has ended up spending time with the\u00a0New Orleans Saints,\u00a0New England Patriots,\u00a0Los Angeles Rams\u00a0and\u00a0Houston Texans before the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

We don’t see Cooks returning to Dallas as a front-burner issue for the Cowboys, though receiver help is needed alongside\u00a0CeeDee Lamb.<\/p>\n

But Cooks himself is open to a return … especially because, in his mind, substantial changes are afoot.<\/p>\n

“I’m expecting a good free agency …” Cooks\u00a0said to reporter Josina Anderson. “but I’m also open to returning to Dallas.”<\/p>\n

One problem with that possible return? Cooks is now talking openly about\u00a0the difficulty he had fitting in to the Cowboys system last season under the now-departed head coach\u00a0Mike McCarthy.<\/p>\n

And in a sense, he is taking a pot shot or two at “Big Mike.”<\/p>\n

“I would love to play with the Cowboys, (but) at the same time they would have to use me right. I don’t think they fully used me to my strengths,” Cooks said.\u00a0\u201cI don’t like to be stagnant out there and teams are getting away from that.”<\/p>\n

That last paragraph is a loaded one. It suggests that Dallas’ offense was “stagnant” and is suggests that McCarthy was doing things on offense that are behind the times.<\/p>\n

Cooks, who finished with 657 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season with Dallas but who last year missed seven games and had just 259 yards and three touchdowns – was previously a perennial 1,000-yard wideout.<\/p>\n

As he is about to turn 32 it September, is it possible that the former first-round pick in 2014 was used in a limited way because his talents are fading?<\/p>\n

Or did McCarthy really miscalculate what Cooks can be here?<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Cooks predicts things can be different in 2025.<\/p>\n

Whether I’m out wide and motion in towards the slot, or vice versa, I work well from that,” he said. “I think ‘Schotty’ (new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer) has got some flavor and will put his touches on the offense now, too.”<\/p>\n

Sounds like a plan, but … wasn’t “Schotty” the Cowboys offensive coordinator last year? Isn’t he a McCarthy protege?<\/p>\n

We are frankly a bit hesitant to suggest that Dallas is suddenly going to reinvent the offensive wheel in 2025. But if the do? Cooks might want in.<\/p>\n

“At the end of the day I’m just trying to win,” Cooks said. “I am fully healthy and have nothing to hide.”<\/p>\n

When it comes to taking a subtle dig or two at his former coach? He’s apparently got “nothing to hide” at all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When it comes to taking a subtle dig or two at his former Cowboys coach? Brandin Cooks apparently has “nothing to hide” at all. FRISCO – The… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nCowboys Veteran Star Fires Parting Shots At Coach - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=32585\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cowboys Veteran Star Fires Parting Shots At Coach - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When it comes to taking a subtle dig or two at his former Cowboys coach? 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