A hopeful resolution to their growing injury problem at wide receiver was the San Francisco 49ers signing veteran Brandin Cooks to the practice squad ahead of Week 3's home showdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
The soon-to-be 33-year-old veteran remained unsigned all offseason after spending 2025 with both the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, yet the Niners are hoping Cooks can round out what's been a depleted depth chart, hit hard by injuries to De'Zhaun Stribling, Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson.
For Cooks, though, it's pretty much a dream come true.
The Stockton, California, native grew up a San Francisco fan and used to go watch 49ers training camp practices when they were holding them at Stockton's University of the Pacific. But, when Cooks was drafted in Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Oregon State, he went to New Orleans and subsequently bounced around the league in the years that followed.
But the speedy wideout finally admitted it was a goal to sign with the Niners.
Brandin Cooks says joining 49ers is 'a dream come true'
On Wednesday, during his first practices outside Levi's Stadium, Cooks told reporters how excited he was about joining the team he rooted for as a kid.
"It's a blessing. It's a dream come true, childhood team," Cooks said, via 49ers Webzone. "I was telling them earlier, riding my bike to training camp when they had training camp at UOP (University of the Pacific), kind of peek through the fences and watch practice. So, this means a lot, for sure."
The 12-year pro also admitted there were other opportunities, but the decision to join San Francisco seemed to be the right one, and not just because of his team affinity either.
"[Head coach Kyle Shanahan's] ability and what he does as an offensive play caller, I've always been fond of, even from afar," Cooks added.
Brandin Cooks and 49ers had been flirting with each other for a while
When Cooks didn't receive likable offers during the offseason and remained unemployed through training camp, he acknowledged situations would change as soon as games were being played.
Cooks' desire to head back to NorCal makes sense, of course, but both Shanahan and general manager John Lynch appear to have been keeping tabs on the receiver for some time.
Lynch acknowledged such during his Thursday appearance on KNBR 680.
"He knew of our affinity for him over the years, and I think it was mutual," Lynch said.
Now, it's an open-ended question how Cooks will fit into Shanahan's system. It'll likely take a week or two for the veteran to get fully up to speed, and finding him a role behind incumbent receivers like Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel isn't automatic, particularly with fringe wideouts like Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins aiming to get more snaps.
Still, if Cooks provides little more than a veteran presence with name recognition, even though he's well beyond the peak of his career, it'd be a bonus for a roster that certainly needs all the help it can get in the receiver room right now.
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