Brandin Cooks Is One Step Closer To Making His Debut for the 49ers

Story by

Story by
Brandin Cooks Is One Step Closer To Making His Debut for the 49ers

Robert Marvi · Athlon Sports

Fri, Oct 2, 2026 ·

4 min read

Brandin Cooks, come on down?

Last week, the Niners added veteran wideout Brandin Cooks to their practice squad . Cooks, who has 12 previous years of NFL experience, may not have that much left in his tank, but as recently as 2023, he put up decent numbers by making 54 catches for 657 yards and eight touchdowns as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

On Thursday, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN , the Niners promoted Cooks to their active 53-man roster. That means he could play, at least conceivably, as soon as this Sunday.

Last season, he played for the New Orleans Saints before they waived him in November and he finished the year with the Buffalo Bills. He caught just 24 passes for 279 yards and no touchdowns in 15 games last season, but perhaps San Francisco will take anything he can give it at this point.

Somehow, despite one injury after another, the 49ers have been looking like Super Bowl contenders, or at least something close to that. They're 3-0 and own the NFL's second-highest scoring offense, and they're also third in points allowed through Week 3.

As crippled as their wideouts are, tight end George Kittle is quickly returning to form after the torn Achilles he suffered in the wild-card round of last season's playoffs, and running back Christian McCaffrey is looking more effective than he was the previous two seasons.

Quarterback Brock Purdy, who was just named the NFC Player of the Month for September, said that Cooks has looked spry during practice.

"He's quick, he looks great, he looks fresh. It was cool for him to be here last week too and sorta go through some practices with him and stuff, and just seeing how he moves and then now this week, him getting more involved with the game plan and just being there sort of in the mix of things and getting him the ball and seeing what he does in space. I think he's in year 13 or something like that, but definitely still has that playmaking ability."

Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak also likes what he has seen from Cooks.

"Just super impressed with the person and how he's prepared and how he's kind of jumped in and just learned our offense quickly," Kubiak said, per 49ers Webzone . "And it's a tough position to play in our offense, with the alignments, with the run game assignments, with obviously the passing game. And just real impressed with how well he's picked it up.

"And he's a pro. He's been a lot of places. I think that's what gives us confidence that he's ready to be elevated and ready to help us."

San Francisco has also brought in Dante Pettis, a wideout it took in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Pettis posted 467 receiving yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, but the team waived him midway through the 2020 season. He is currently on the practice squad.

Meanwhile, WR KhaDarel Hodge, a veteran the Niners signed to a one-year contract this offseason, was waived with an injury settlement. He caught one pass for 18 yards in the first three games this season, but he missed the team's last two practices with a knee ailment.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Oct 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.