The San Francisco 49ers signed Brandin Cooks to their practice squad on September 22, adding a veteran receiver just as injuries have thinned the position. Adam Schefter reported the move, which gives San Francisco another proven pass catcher for a room that has been stretched by absences.
Cooks turns 33 on September 25, and he is entering his 13th NFL season. Even so, he is arriving on the practice squad after 12 years in the league that have produced 734 catches, 9,811 receiving yards and 60 touchdowns, including six seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards. That kind of production usually puts a receiver in a much different conversation than a fringe roster addition.
That is what makes the move notable. Cooks played 15 games last season, spending time with the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills, and caught 24 passes for 279 yards. He also played in both Buffalo Bills playoff games and caught five passes for 78 yards. Now he will join his seventh career team, a list that already includes the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots.
The 49ers need the help. Ricky Pearsall is out for the year, while De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are expected to miss an extended period of time. Khadarel Hodge and Jacob Cowing handled 20 and 24 snaps, respectively, against the Miami Dolphins, a sign of how deep the team has been forced to go at wide receiver.
Kyle Shanahan said the team would try out some players at the position ahead of Week 3, and Cooks fits that search better than most. What remains unresolved is when, or whether, San Francisco will elevate him from the practice squad, but the need that brought him in is already clear: the 49ers did not sign Brandin Cooks for depth alone, they signed him because the receiver room needed a player who has done this at a much higher level for a long time.
