Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks is not expected to play against the Eagles tonight on Thursday Night Football, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported.
Cooks was listed as questionable on this week's injury report with an official designation of "wrist/not injury related," leading to speculation that he would not be available as the organization tries to work things out with their pass catcher in the aftermath of not being traded by Tuesday's deadline.
The 29-year-old receiver had been the subject of trade talks for weeks as many assumed the 1-5-1 Texans could part with the Cooks by the Nov. 1 trade deadline. If Cooks had been traded, it would have been for a remarkable fourth time in his career, tying the NFL record. But an expected hurdle to a potential trade was the guaranteed $18 million Cooks is owed next season, a number which teams were expected to balk at.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero said earlier on Thursday that Cooks had not been around the team facilities much this week in anticipation of being dealt. Despite receiving trade calls right up to the final hour from teams including the Rams and Cowboys, per Pelissero, Cooks remained a Texan following the deadline, a fact that appeared to not be desirable news to him.
Soon after the deadline passed, Cooks tweeted a message interpreted to be in response to the non-trade, writing, "Don't take a man's kindness for granted. Covered for the lies for too long those days are done. Crossed the line with playing with my career."
Cooks leads the Texans with 32 receptions and 354 yards in seven games, but will not add to that total on Thursday night, and his overall status in the Texans organization appears in flux as of this point.
