Brandin Cooks' arrival helped soften the blow of losing DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason, but Houston might not have its new target for Week 1.
Cooks (quadriceps) is officially questionable for Thursday night's kickoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to the injury report. Cooks was a limited participant in Texans practice Monday and did not participate on Tuesday before returning in a limited capacity for Wednesday's walkthrough.
Plenty of roster changes occurred in the first full offseason with Bill O'Brien as official head coach and general manager of the Texans, with none bigger than the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona and brought back running back David Johnson and a handful of draft picks. The departure of the three-time All-Pro left a massive hole in Houston's receiving corps, which O'Brien addressed by acquiring Cooks.
The move made sense and reduced the once steep drop-off at the position, but it isn't foolproof. While appearing in 88 of a possible 96 regular-season games, Cooks has had a history of injuries, most notably due to concussions. This seems to be his first publicly revealed issue with a lower body injury.
The name of Cooks' game is speed, so it's a little more significant than, say, a pectoral problem. Questionable still leaves the door open for Cooks to play, though on a short week with little participation, it's far from guaranteed. Houston will need him to try to keep up with Kansas City's high-powered offense on the national stage.
