San Francisco 49ers elevate veteran WR Brandin Cooks to 53-man roster

There was a bike, a fence and an NFL practice happening on the other side.

A young boy had ridden over to what used to be Zuckerman Field at the University of the Pacific, where he'd peek through and watch the San Francisco 49ers during summer training camp.

He couldn't have known where football would take him then.

That boy was Brandin Cooks.

Now, after 12 seasons in the NFL, the Lincoln High graduate

has gone from watching the 49ers to officially joining them.

After signing with the practice squad Sept. 22, Cooks was elevated to the 49ers’ 53-man roster ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Denver Broncos at 1:25 p.m. Oct. 4 at Levi’s Stadium, the team announced Thursday, Oct. 1.

"It's a blessing," Cooks told reporters during a post-practice locker

room media availability Sept. 23. "It's a dream come true, childhood team. I was telling them earlier, riding my bike to training camp when they had training camp at UOP, kind of peek through the fences and watch practice. So this means a lot, for sure."

The move comes as injuries continue to pile up at receiver. The latest is a rib injury Mike Evans suffered in a 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 26, though he is likely a game-time decision.

Demarcus Robinson (ankle), rookie De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle) and Christian Kirk (calf) are already on injured reserve, while Ricky Pearsall (knee) is out for the season.

"With Brandin it always started with his speed," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on KNBR's "Dirty Work" Sept. 24. "He's a first-round pick, and you always think of guys and what makes them a first-round pick, and he was a true speed guy.

"There's fast guys, and then there's another level. And he was that guy on another level."

At 33, Cooks is closing in on rare company.

He sits 189 receiving yards shy of 10,000 for his career, a mark only 53 players have reached.

"The speed's still there, but every year I'm trying to adapt to be able to be a complete receiver," Cooks said. "Obviously, you come in a fast guy, fast guy, whatever the case may be. But 13 years now, got to find other ways to be able to get open because obviously the defense is expecting, 'Oh, he's going to take the top off. Let's put a shell on it.'

"But the ability to run underneath routes, catch the ball and get YAC is also important as well."

'A huge Niner fan'

Peeking through that fence was only the beginning of Cooks' football story in Stockton.

By 2008, Cooks was getting his first varsity opportunity as a sophomore. He turned it into 576 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns.

His production only grew.

Cooks piled up 1,201 all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior before finishing with 1,414 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, earning 2010 first-team All-Sac-Joaquin Section honors.

It all helped Cooks become a four-star recruit before landing at Oregon State.

“He stayed in touch over the years and let us know that he grew up in Stockton and that he was a huge Niner fan, and if ever the opportunity presented itself,” general manager John Lynch said on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” Sept. 24. “We were incredibly deep at receiver coming into this year, and that’s been tested early. And so you start looking at options, and Brandin’s name pops up, and so let’s get him on the phone."

Since being drafted No. 20 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, Cooks has recorded six 1,000-yard receiving seasons while playing for the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

"He obviously wasn't just a speed guy, he was a hell of a football player," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on KNBR's "Dirty Work" Sept. 24. "He was tough going over the middle, he would compete in the run game, had good hands. He's been in a number of offenses, picks it up right away. He's a real smart player that football comes very natural for."

And now, his 49ers debut comes against a team featuring another Stockton native.

Broncos running back Jonah Coleman, a 2022 Lincoln High graduate, will miss the matchup after suffering a high ankle sprain in Denver's 20-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 20.

“I used to ride my bike over that little overpass right there,” Cooks said. “I never actually went into practice, they had those little fences right there you could kind of peek through. I remember doing that as a kid, so I’m excited.”

This article originally appeared on The Record: San Francisco 49ers elevate veteran WR Brandin Cooks to 53-man roster