The New England Patriots have added Brandin Cooks to the mix making Tom Brady and the offense even more dangerous.
Who said Bill Belichick never makes a splash during free agency? In Day 2 of the new league season, the New England Patriots sent waves throughout the NFL by acquiring speedy wide receiver Brandin Cooks in a trade with the New Orleans Saints.
Not since the days of Randy Moss has Tom Brady had a deep threat weapon like Cooks. He is fast, tough and haven’t even reached his ceiling. The best part about this deal is the Patriots didn’t have to trade Malcolm Butler to get him. It did take the team’s first-round pick (No. 32 overall) and their third-round compensatory selection (No. 103) to obtain the former 2014 Saints first-round pick.
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A steep price, but with the way the Patriots aggressively pursued him, a price they feel is worth it. In New England, he’ll join a group of receivers that include Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell and Danny Amendola. All solid contributors, but Cooks is by far the fastest and more dangerous of the bunch.
Also add the fact that the Patriots will have tight end Rob Gronkowski back, the offense has the potential to be unstoppable. Health will really be the only thing in the way of slowing down the weapons Tom Brady now has at his disposal.
In all, the New England Patriots have added the type of player they have been missing since they traded Moss during the 2009 season. There are many reasons to love the addition of Cooks, but here are five reasons excitement is rippling throughout New England and Patriots Nation throughout the country.
The age factor
Despite the weapons the Patriots already have, receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are both in their early 30s.. Even Chris Hogan is nearing the age of 30 at 28. Combine that with the fact Edelman is also entering the final year of his contract and there you have the reason the Patriots are actively addressing the wide receiver spot.
So, with Brandin Cooks just 23 years of age, New England has added youth as well as the over-the-top speed they’ve been looking to address for quite some time.
The fact that he is so young is another reason giving up their first-round pick is worth it. In Cooks, they have a player capable of being their No. 1 receiver. They also have a player with tremendous upside and a player who has already put up some tremendous numbers in the NFL while playing with another elite quarterback in Drew Brees.
If Cooks is so great, why did the Saints make him available?
One reason is the emergence of wide receiver Michael Thomas as their No. 1 receiver. Another reason is financial, which now becomes the Patriots responsibility.
Cooks will eventually demand a big contract, especially if he continues to be an explosive receiver in the NFL. The Patriots will get him at a pretty cheap this season, but if they chose to exercise his fifth-year option for the 2018 season, it will cost them around $9 million.
He could be a one-year or two-year rental for the New England Patriots if money becomes an issue. I would like to believe Bill Belichick has a long-term plan for Cooks. Otherwise he wouldn’t have given up a first-round pick for a short-term option.
As of now, the Patriots will have two young good receivers in Brandin Cooks and Malcolm Mitchell with high ceilings.
Offensive diversity
Without Brandin Cooks, the New England Patriots already have an explosive offense when healthy. What really stood out this season was their ability to transform their offensive approach depending on competition and personnel available.
The one flaw, however, was their lack of over-the-top speed on the outside that could really stretch the field. They had a glimpse of it with Chris Hogan, but he didn’t put the fear in opposing defenses like Randy Moss did back in 2007.
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By adding Cooks, what the Patriots will have in 2017that they didn’t have in 2007 or in their tight end featured offenses is complete diversity in the passing game. With Cooks providing the outside threat along with Hogan, a healthy Rob Gronkowski, Edelman and Mitchell can really feast in the middle of the field, along the sidelines and down the seams.
It also opens up the short passing game with James White and Dion Lewis out of the backfield. Never before has Brady had all of these different types of weapons at one time. When they had Moss and Welker, they didn’t have that dominant tight end. The last few seasons with Gronkowski and Edelman, they were always lacking the outside receiver they now have with Cooks.
It will be interesting to see the type of creativity offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels comes up with. It will also be interesting to see how defenses defend the Patriots and who they focus on to take away.
Pure talent
At 5-foot-10, 189 pounds, Brandin Cooks isn’t a big, tall wide receiver, but he plays big. Over the last two seasons with the Saints, he has averaged over 80 catches per season and 1,150 yards. He has also averaged close to 9 touch downs over those two seasons.
He may not come close to that in New England’s offense due to the different types of weapons the Patriots have, but the physical ability he has to produce those types of numbers will make the offense that much more dangerous.
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One thing the Patriots have to worry about with Cooks is his attitude. He was very outspoken when he wasn’t targeted during a Week 11 Saints’ blowout victory over the Los Angeles Rams. That kind of attitude won’t play well with Brady or Belichick.
Cooks is less established than Randy Moss was when he was in New England. Once Moss started questioning his targets, he was shipped right out of Foxborough. No matter how much Belichick likes Cooks, he would have no hesitation in shipping the young receiver right out of town if what happened in New Orleans were to happen in New England.
Another obstacle could be Cooks’ ability to grasp the offense. While I think Cooks will be fine, many veteran receivers have failed to catch on in the Patriots’ offense. But if Belichick felt that could be an issue, he wouldn’t have even pursued the trade.
A homerun hitter
Nicknamed “The Archer,” Brandin Cooks can score from anywhere on the field. His big play ability will be interesting in the Patriots’ offense.
Cooks had two of the four longest receptions in the NFL last season with touchdown receptions of 98 yards and 87 yards. The sheer breakaway speed he showed on those plays is the type of down the field speed absent from the Patriots’ offensive play book.
Sure, they have tried with deep throws to Julian Edelman and even special teams ace Matthew Slater, but a consistent threat has been missing until last season with Chris Hogan. Although Hogan was able to provide those plays when open, he still lacked the type of separation ability Cooks now provides.
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I think this is the reason the Patriots were adamant about adding a speedy outside threat. We saw it in a few games during the regular season and in Super Bowl LI. When the Patriots receivers are not able to get separation, the offense really bogs down.
The majority of that was due to the absence of Rob Gronkowski. But even with a tight end like Martellus Bennett on the field, there were times the receivers couldn’t get open. With the speed Cooks possesses, he will draw over the top safety help that will open things up quite a bit for Brady.
Tom Brady
The main reason to get excited about the addition of Brandin Cooks is Super Bowl LI MVP Tom Brady. The soon to be 40-year-old quarterback will have one of the more electrifying weapons in the NFL at his disposal.
We’ve all seen what he has done with players like Deion Branch, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. In a couple cases, he made the players better. In this case, I think he will thrive on Cooks’ big play ability and also make him a better, more versatile receiver.
Although he will be used to stretch the field, Josh McDaniels will draw up plays to utilize Cooks’ speed in other ways. He may be used in the short passing game in similar ways Edelman and Danny Amendola have been in hopes turning a short pass into a big play.
Over the past few seasons, the Patriots have been one of the best teams when it comes to yards after the catch. Cooks will be used in that fashion as well.
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As for Brady, as long as the offensive line holds up, he should have a field day in the passing game. And for his inconsistency throwing the deep ball. Many throws he misses are overthrown. I think Brandin Cooks has the ability to catch up to some of those.