Should I Start Brandin Cooks?

Tuesday, September 22, 2:10 PM

Veteran free-agent wide receiver Brandin Cooks is signing with the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad on Tuesday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Initially, Cooks will be on the practice squad to get up to speed for games. The 13-year veteran and former first-rounder from Oregon State is 189 yards short of 10,000 receiving yards for his NFL career. The 32-year-old is a well-traveled journeyman as well, having played for six teams already while recording six 1,000-yard seasons, including four straight years from 2015 to 2018 with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams. The Niners' WR depth has been decimated, first with Ricky Pearsall (knee) going out for the year, and then rookie De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) being lost for 10 weeks. Demarcus Robinson suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins, and veteran Mike Evans also injured his hip, although he is expected to be fine. Cooks might need some time to get up to speed while learning a new offense, but do not count him out as a potential deep-league streamer in the future in 2026, depending on the state of the 49ers' WR room by then.