FRISCO, TX – The last time Brandin Cooks took the field for the Dallas Cowboys was Week 4 and they handed the New York Giants a 20-15 loss. That makes the following news rather fitting, with the Dallas Cowboys officially activating the veteran wide receiver from injured reserve – preparing for a return against, guess who, the New York Giants.

So yeah, your kitchen won’t be the only thing with chefs in it this Thanksgiving.

To make room for Cooks on the active 53-man roster, Caelen Carson has been moved to injured reserve with a shoulder injury that has plagued him for weeks and cost him several games, including the Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

That means that, barring Trevon Diggs taking the field, which is unexpected due to a groin and knee injury he is working through, Josh Butler will once again get the start opposite DaRon Bland.

As for Cooks, the name of the game is eliminating as much rust as possible, and fast.

Able to get off to a hot start to the 2024 season with a Dak Prescott touchdown catch in the Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns, things quieted down for Cooks over the next three games before being moved to the injured reserve due to an infection in his knee that appeared after external treatment.

He hasn’t played a match in two months since then.

In that time, the Cowboys traded up to acquire Jonathan Mingo and KaVontae Turpin showed what he can do offensively, creating an interesting dynamic in terms of targets next to CeeDee Lamb in addition to Cooks’ return. And then there’s the quarterback factor, as Prescott is on season-ending injured reserve with a partially torn hamstring.

This time it’s Cooper Rush throwing to Cooks, with the two having little to no work with each other in regular season games; as Rush’s previous stint as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback came in 2022, before Cooks headed to Dallas.

The sooner the two can get on the same page the better, as the Cowboys are 4-7 on the season and line up in just four days in their second game with a chance to move to 5-7 and, most importantly, to finally end their losing streak on home turf.

Bottom line: Cooks hopes to provide some good food with all the confirmations.