FRISCO, Texas – Another former Cowboy has found a new home, and for Brandin Cooks, it was his first home. The veteran wide receiver is expected to reunite with the New Orleans Saints in free agency, the same team that drafted him back in 2014.

When healthy, Cooks was one of the more sure-handed receivers on the Cowboys roster, finishing as the team’s third-leading receiver in 2023 behind CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. Now, former Cowboys offensive coordinator and now Saints head coach Kellen Moore gets a speedy receiver as he begins his tenure in New Orleans.

In his two years playing in Dallas, Cooks caught 80 passes for 916 yards and 11 touchdowns in 26 games. He missed time during the 2024 season after an infection developed in his knee following surgery, causing him to be sidelined for seven games.

Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, Cooks has long been a reliable target and has developed into a strong locker room presence as well. The Cowboys became the fifth team that Cooks has played for when the team acquired him via trade from the Houston Texans before the 2023 season.

In his career, Cooks has accumulated 710 receptions for 9,532 yards and 60 touchdowns after being selected by the Saints with the 20th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State.

With Cooks’ departure, the Cowboys lose a veteran that had taken some of the younger receivers on the roster like Jalen Tolbert under his wing. Tolbert was very vocal about Cooks being his mentor, and he clearly has had an impact on his development up to this point.

“It’s helped me a lot in the game and the little things you need to be great in this league,” Tolbert said of Cooks’s guidance last May. “He’s done it for a long time, so having him in my corner is special. One thing for sure, he’s not going to let me fail and I’m not going to let myself fail.”

Conversely, Cooks had high praise for Tolbert, who will head into his fourth season with the Cowboys in 2025.

“The kid is special,” Cooks said of Tolbert in May. “The ability, the talent is there. I’m just looking forward to him really getting his shot being out there. He’s going to work for it, that’s one thing he’s going to do. He deserves this opportunity and I can’t wait to see it.”

The Cowboys are still in search of another wide receiver to play alongside Lamb and will likely look to the NFL Draft in April to find his running mate, even after signing former Philadelphia Eagle Parris Campbell in free agency.