The San Francisco 49ers are making a serious move to shore up their injury-ravaged receiving corps early in the season, bringing in veteran wideout Brandin Cooks to their practice squad. ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped the news, confirming the team is adding an experienced weapon at a crucial moment. The initial plan is clear: give the 32-year-old time to learn the playbook and get fully prepared before he potentially hits the field on game days.
Injuries Piling Up, Depth Tested
This isn’t some casual signing; it’s a direct response to a receiver room that’s already getting hammered by injuries. The 49ers have been dealing with issues to Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling, and Demarcus Robinson. On top of that, veteran Mike Evans is battling a hip injury, which could mean the team has to manage his workload. It’s early in the season, and their depth is already being tested big time. Bringing in Cooks provides a proven option, a guy with more than a decade of NFL experience who can step in when needed. The team can’t afford to sit back when their playmakers are dropping like flies.
Cooks’ Wild Ride and Massive Numbers
Cooks has been on quite the journey in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints originally snagged him with the No. 20 overall pick back in the 2014 NFL Draft after his college days at Oregon State. He spent his first three seasons in New Orleans before starting a tour across the league. He’s worn jerseys for the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills. He even had a brief reunion in New Orleans in 2025, but that ended in November when the Saints waived him after he requested a release. Cooks finished that season with the Bills. You probably remember his controversial moment in the playoffs with Buffalo: during overtime of their divisional-round loss to Denver, he looked like he hauled in a deep pass from Josh Allen, but Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian somehow took possession as Cooks went to the ground. Officials called it an interception, and the Bills never got the ball back. Despite the tough breaks, Cooks brings extensive postseason experience, including back-to-back Super Bowl appearances with the Patriots and Rams. Across 12 NFL seasons, he’s stacked up an incredible 734 receptions for 9,811 receiving yards and 62 total touchdowns. Those are serious numbers.
Now, he’s tasked with providing that much-needed veteran depth for a 49ers offense that needs all the help it can get. This move tells you everything about how seriously the 49ers are taking these early-season injury struggles. They’re hoping Cooks can quickly get up to speed and bring that proven track record to a team that desperately needs it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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