Cowboys current WR1 leaves practice for knee evaluation

The contract-related absence of wideout CeeDee Lamb has left another in the top spot of Dallas’ depth chart. Veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks has handled WR1 duties while Lamb continues to work with the club in negotiations.

He’s provided a key veteran voice as the majority of the remaining receivers have only a handful of years of experience amongst the group. Hopefully he will be able to continue delivering his knowledge both in words and examples but that is now in question as during practice Thursday, Cooks left the field with a knee injury.

In his first season as a Cowboy, Cooks had a quiet start before building a strong red-zone connection with quarterback Dak Prescott. He finished the season with 54 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns. Given the drama around Lamb’s holdout, having a veteran receiver like Cooks in the room has calmed the situation.

Cooks’ injury Thursday likely sent chills down the spines of coaches and the front office, but DallasCowboys.com Patrik Walker indicates it may not be a long-term injury situation.

Beyond the pair of Lamb and Cooks, the wide receiver room would be led by Jalen Tolbert, with Jalen Brooks and KaVontae Turpin strongly in the mix for snaps and several other players looking to convince the front office in their upside. Cooks missing any practice time highlights those battles even more.