Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy rules out WR Brandin Cooks for Week 5 at Steelers with ‘knee issue’

FRISCO, Texas — The injury bug bit down on the Dallas Cowboys during their Week 4 victory over the New York Giants. DeMarcus Lawrence has been placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury, while Micah Parsons is expected to miss at least one game with a high ankle sprain. Now, wide receiver Brandin Cooks is set to miss time as well.

Cooks will miss the Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers and potentially longer, per ESPN, due to an infection that developed in his right knee following a procedure he had done in New York after the 20-15 win over the Giants. Upon returning to Texas after the New York procedure, Cooks reportedly needed another surgery to clean the infection. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed Cooks will for sure miss Dallas’ Week 5 “Sunday Night Football” game at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Brandin Cooks has a knee issue,” McCarthy said on Wednesday. “He will not be available this week.”

In four games this season, Cooks has caught just nine passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. He ranks fourth in receiving yards for the Cowboys, and his 22.8 receiving yards per game currently mark a career-low for the 31-year-old. McCarthy touted the intangible impact Cooks continues to make despite the tough start to the season for him individually. 

“Brandin Cooks is somebody that really made a big impact on our football team,” McCarthy said. “It goes beyond the field. You talk about a true pro, teaching others, particularly young players, taking them under his wing, I mean he’s done all those things that you look for in a veteran player. So, yeah, I mean, Brandin Cooks has a lot of love and respect in this building.”

Jalen Tolbert has emerged as the No. 2 behind CeeDee Lamb, as he’s caught 13 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in 2024. Tolbert will be called upon to step up in the passing game this week, along with KaVontae Turpin. McCarthy credited the extra reps Tolbert and other received in training camp for his development when Lamb was in the midst of his contract holdout before signing a four-year, $136 million extension in late August. 

“I think really all those guys when, as a young player in this league regardless of the position, when you get reps regardless of how you get them, there’s tremendous value in that,” McCarthy said. “And I think you can clearly see what Jalen’s done, he does a lot of the little things right. He has a really good connection with Dak and the quarterbacks. And it’s only going to get better. That’s the beauty of if you look at the top connections between quarterbacks and receivers, just you look at Dak and CeeDee as they continue to play year in and year out, those relationships and connections, they take time to develop.” 

McCarthy is looking for versatility out of Tolbert, Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin, 2023 seventh-round pick Jalen Brooks and 2024 sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy when they attempt to pick up the slack in Cooks’ absence. 

“Think if you watch us play over the course of a season, the important component in our receiver group is their ability to be able to move them in all three spots,” McCarthy said. “Whether it’s the one spot, two spot, three spot, it’s something guys can even play what I could call the four spot, which would be in the backfield, which obviously CeeDee and Turp have played there. Yeah, their flexibility is important.”