Texans' Brandin Cooks has 'zero' concerns over his concussion history

HOUSTON -- Despite missing two games last season after sustaining two concussions in a 25-day span, Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks said he has "zero" concerns about his concussion history.

"For me, I'm not worried at all," Cooks said on Thursday. "If there is any hesitation or worry, I wouldn't be here right now. But at the end of the day, things happen in this game that you wish don't happen. But when you start to learn through this process, you really start to get an understanding on what this is. There's so much out there that people just don't understand that goes into it.

"Everybody thinks, 'Oh, it's just impact,' but without going into specifics, I'm comfortable and I feel great and I look forward to continuing to just do what I have to do and go out there and give it my all."

Cooks, who will turn 27 in September, has suffered five known concussions in his six-year NFL career, three of which came in the past two seasons when he was with the Los Angeles Rams.

In April, when the Texans acquired Cooks, head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien said, "Yes, he's had concussions, but he's only missed two games since 2015. All that was taken into account when we worked with [Rams coach] Sean McVay on the trade.

"We also spoke with other doctors relative to Brandin and his injuries," O'Brien said then. "Not to get into the details, but we feel really good at where Brandin's at, relative to his health."

The Texans sent a 2020 second-round draft pick (No. 57 overall) to the Rams for Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round pick.

In 14 games last season, Cooks caught 42 passes for 583 yards and two touchdowns. In six seasons, Cooks has played for the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and the Rams, and he is one of only four players to produce four 1,000-yard seasons before their age-26 season.