The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of unrestricted free agents who will officially hit the open market in a little over two months.

Of those, six or seven were significant contributors in 2024, meaning the Cowboys have some difficult decisions ahead of them in the next two months.

Today, we start our free agent profile series taking a look at Dallas’ impending free agents. We kick things off with a player coming off a rather disappointing season, wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

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2024 Regular Season Stats: 10G, 26 receptions, 259 receiving yards, 10.0 Y/R, 3 receiving touchdowns, 44.4% Receiving Success Rate, 48.1% Catch Percentage

Year Review: Expectations were high for veteran wideout Brandin Cooks before the start of the 2024 regular season. During his first season in Dallas, Cooks was a true difference-maker for the Cowboys’ offense.

Dallas was 7-1 in games in which Cooks scored a touchdown and 9-0 when he had 35 or more receiving yards.

After losing some offensive firepower during the offseason, the Cowboys were relying on Cooks to replicate his success in 2024 and be a key piece of their offense.

Unfortunately for both parties, that did not happen. A knee infection and inconsistent play turned this into a nightmare season for the veteran.

Even before suffering the knee issues in Week 4, Cooks did not look like the same player we saw in 2023. His biggest issue was lack of separation, and the 31-year-old finished the season with the fourth-worst average separation rate (2.2 yards) among qualified receivers.

Cooks failed to surpass to record 55 or more receiving yards in a single game, and posted career lows in receptions (26), receiving yards (259), receiving success rate (48.1%), and catch percentage (48.15).

Free Agency Outlook: It’s hard to project what Cooks’ market will look like after such a down year. Cooks will turn 32 at the start of next season, so it’s unlikely any team will be willing to make a long-term commitment to the aging veteran after such a rough year.

From 2015 to 2023 Cooks was one of the most reliable and consistent receivers in all of football.

During these nine years, Cooks recorded over 1,000 receiving yards and played in 16 regular season games six times. This consistent performance makes it likely there will still be teams who believe the veteran can bounce back and will have an interest in signing him on the open market.

Spotrac projects Cooks to earn a one-year, $5m deal in free agency. This projection seems low if you take into consideration free-agent contracts signed by veteran receivers in recent years.

Just last offseason, wide receiver Mike Williams signed a one-year, $10M deal with the Jets. Two years back, Odell Beckham Jr. signed a one-year, $15M deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

Cooks is nearly two years older than both players were when they signed their deals, but his level of play at this point in his career is comparable to the duo at the point they each signed.

Cowboys Verdict: As nice as it would be to give Cooks a chance to rebound in Dallas next season, the Cowboys have so many holes to fill on their roster they’ll likely need to go younger and cheaper at the receiver position.

The biggest thing Dallas’ current roster lacks at the receiver position is speed, and at this point of his career, Cooks has lost a step.

With CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, and Jalen Brooks all under contract next season, it seems likely the Cowboys will spend a high draft pick on a young receiver and let the veteran Cooks walk in free agency.

The trade for Brandin Cooks was still one of Dallas’ best offseason moves of the last decade, but it seems likely his time in Dallas has come to an end.

Prediction: Brandin Cooks signs a two-year, $18M deal with the Washington Commanders