The Los Angeles Rams have stirred up the buzz around the franchise once again with the acquisition of veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks from the New England Patriots. It is the latest of major moves that the front office has conducted in the first several weeks of the offseason.
In the days since the trade, head coach Sean McVay has been extremely complimentary of his new offensive weapon’s ability on the field and character as a person on and off it. During Cooks’ introductory press conference, McVay also made it clear that the 24-year-old will be featured heavily in the team’s offense next season, according to Joe Curley of the Ventura County Star:
"He's going to be a big part of our offense." — Sean McVay on Brandin Cooks
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) April 5, 2018
Throughout his first four seasons with the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, Cooks has proven to be a huge factor in the passing game. He possesses breakaway speed that has helped him become a bonafide deep-ball threat and big-play factor. The former 2014 first-round pick put that on display in 2017 with his big-play ability as he was eighth in the NFL with 18 catches for at least 20 yards, and tied for second with seven receptions for 40 or more yards.
This was a large part of his productive season where he recorded 65 catches for 1,082 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He had joined Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown as the only players in the last three straight seasons to notch at least 1,000 receiving yards and seven touchdown catches. He is also one of four players to accomplish that feat prior to turning 25 years old joining Hall of Famer Randy Moss (1998-2001), Odell Beckham Jr. (2014-16), and John Jefferson (1978-80).
All of this has the telling signs of Cooks stepping into a prominent role with the Rams in his first campaign that could see him be a key component for the long haul in Los Angeles.
