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The Dallas Cowboys recently acquired Brandin Cooks via trade with the Houston Texans during the 2023 NFL offseason. The move came shortly after another trade they made, acquiring star cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts. Both trades were relatively inexpensive, costing the Cowboys just late-round picks in the NFL draft.
Many around the NFL would agree that Jerry Jones did an excellent job during the 2023 NFL offseason so far in adding two established veterans that can step in and help the team immediately in major roles.
Skip Bayless is one of the many Cowboys supporters excited about the moves. He spoke up about it following the trade for Brandin Cooks, putting his usual criticism of Jones on the backburner.
Here's what Bayless had to say on "Undisputed" during a recent episode.
"I have bashed Jerry Jones enough on this show .. but today I come only to praise Jerry Jones for two beautiful low-cost moves that fill two gaping holes and fix two glaring problems for my Dallas Cowboys. I am so proud of Jerry Jones today, and remember, he did this without violating his offseason matra of, 'We will not plunge in free agency.' You realize, both these moves came via trades for fifth-round picks that were already compensation picks to begin with .. so Dallas has every pick in every round that is their pick .. Jerry did not spend a dime in free agency .. That's insanely great."
As Bayless pointed out, Jerry Jones hasn't been known to make big splashes during the free agency period, but is also always looking to improve his Cowboys as much as possible. He accomplished both of these things by instead acquiring Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore via trade. He didn't give up many assets to land them, while significantly upgrading their roster.
Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore are exactly what the Cowboys needed in 2023
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2023 NFL offseason in serious need of help at their wide receiver and cornerback positions. Jerry Jones addressed both holes in a big way by landing two veterans with a history of proven production. Stephon Gilmore is a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year award winner, while Brandin Cooks has exceeded 1,000 yards six times in nine years.
Brandin Cooks will be paired with CeeDee Lamb in the passing game, finally replacing Amari Cooper, who was traded to the Cleveland Browns last year.
Stephon Gilmore will be paired with Trevon Diggs in the defensive secondary, replacing Anthony Brown, who departed during the 2023 free agency period. Each move is a major positional upgrade compared to the 2022 NFL season.
