It’s not just the Pittsburgh Steelers who are dealing with a large number of injuries. So, too, are the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers’ Week 5 opponent on Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.
According to ESPN Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer, Dallas will be without No. 2 wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Sunday night after the veteran receiver developed an infection in his knee following a procedure following Thursday Night Football in New York against the Giants.
Not only will Cooks miss Week 5, but he could be out longer for Dallas, too.
Cooks’ injury is just the latest the Cowboys have had to deal with since beating the Giants. They’ll already be without Pro Bowl defensive lineman DeMarcus Lawrence against the Steelers as he will miss 4-8 weeks with a foot injury All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons could miss Sunday’s game, too, with a high-ankle sprain suffered against the Giants.
Cooks has just nine receptions for 91 yards on the season, including just one reception for 16 yards in Week 4 against the Giants.
The veteran receiver has been a sound No. 2 receiver for the Cowboys, complementing CeeDee Lamb quite well. Last season, Cooks hauled in 54 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns. In his career, Cooks has 693 receptions for 9,364 yards and 58 touchdowns, and even has six seasons of 1,000-plus yards, including a stretch where he had 1,000 yards receiving with three different teams during stints with the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots.
Without Cooks, the Cowboys will lean even further on Lamb as quarterback Dak Prescott’s top target. Other wide receivers on the Cowboys’ roster include Jalen Tolbert, KeVontae Turpin, Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy.
