Patriots gridiron news: Brandin Cooks impressing coaches off the field

New England Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks has proven how special he can be on the field, but is impressing coaches and teammates off the field.

With the first sessions of OTA’s already taken place this spring, newly acquired wide receiver Brandin Cooks is one of a few players worth keeping an eye on. The New England Patriots deep threat has already impressed on and off the field.

The talent Cooks possesses is off the chart. During his last couple of seasons with the New Orleans Saints he has tallied over 1,000 yards receiving. While his chemistry with Tom Brady appears to be on target through the first few practices, he still has much to prove off the field.

So far, it has been good for Brandin Cooks. The way he has conducted himself both on the field and in the receiver room has caught the attention of coaches and teammates.

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"“I’ve seen somebody that works extremely hard, who is very professional, who has come in and earned the respect of his teammates because of the way he’s worked,” receivers coach Chad O’Shea said of Cooks, via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com. “That’s the thing, the first impression I have of him is those strong traits that he has, and it’s gonna be great that he’s brought that to our football team.”"

O’Shea also went on to applaud Cooks for his approach and level of competition he will bring to a deep receivers group. With players like Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola already established with the team, to have a player with the work ethic and talent of Cooks will only push those players. The younger players like Malcolm Mitchell and Austin Carr may feel more of an impact as they watch the way Cooks displays his versatility on the field.

A more versatile role

Speaking of versatility, O’Shea also lauded the way Cooks has embraced doing some different things on the field. With the Saints, he was an outside receiver, but with the Patriots, he may be utilized all over the field in different ways.

"“I think it’s the fun part of what we do as coaches,” O’Shea said. “When you have talented players that can do a lot of things well, like a lot of our players can…That’s the good thing about our receivers this year, we have a lot of guys that have strengths that all complement each other. But when you have a player like [Cooks], it’s our job as coaches to maximize their production by doing a lot of different things with them.”"

With the early part of the process just beginning, it is great to see a player like Cooks show the type of dedication to learning that he has. On a team like the Patriots, versatility and flexibility will go a long way towards success.

As O’Shea went on to point out, Brandin Cooks has been used in the backfield and in the screen game. You have to believe New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has already add those types of plays to the offensive playbook.

Next: Andrew Benintendi rediscovers power at Camden Yards

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