Disgruntled Texans Wide Receiver Returns to Practice

The Houston Texans are in a delicate spot with their top pass catcher, but the relationship has apparently thawed enough that the veteran will likely see the field in Week 10. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks returned to practice Thursday after missing Week 9's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a wrist injury/personal reasons and expressed his commitment to his teammates.

Brandin Cooks: 'All of my teammates will tell you, I love them very much and I care about them. They understand my situation. At the same time, I'm going to be there for them as best as I can. They understand that. There's no bad blood there. They know I love them.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 10, 2022

Cooks has been unhappy with the Texans' failure to find a new home for him ahead of the trade deadline. Evidently, he now appears willing to finish out the season with the Texans, but he clearly still has lingering frustrations with the front office.

At 1-6-1, the Texans' season is all but doomed. As a perennially productive wide receiver in a league starving for pass catchers, Cooks had expected to be traded to a contending team that could make the most of his services in the playoffs and potentially beyond. However, the Texans couldn't find a trade package that suited them, and the 29-year-old Cooks finds himself stuck on a team going nowhere. If Cooks' trust is beyond salvaging, the Texans may be forced to attempt to move him again this offseason.

Cooks joined the Texans via trade with the Los Angeles Rams. The ninth-year wide receiver has struggled to find a home in the NFL despite his consistent quality across a variety of situations: Cooks has managed 1000-yard seasons with four separate teams and under five different passers. When the Texans acquired him from the Rams, it cost them a second-round pick. The Texans will likely have to settle for less than that in return.