The Houston Texans are in full-on rebuild mode, which means that they could trade 30-year-old wide receiver Brandin Cooks to a team that is ready to compete for a title. Houston tried shopping Cooks last year at the trade deadline, but they should have more luck with an entire offseason to make a deal.
Brandin Cooks isn’t the player he once was, but he still has the ability to take the top off a defense and can be an above-average WR2 in the correct offense. The only question is, which tems are the best fits for the former 1,000-yard receiver?
Brandin Cooks Highlights – Potential Cap Casualty/Trade Block #NFL pic.twitter.com/uFQH3yxOxd
— Brad Ward (@WardonSports) February 13, 2023
Top 5 Brandin Cooks Trade Fits
1. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens need receivers in the worst way. Rashod Bateman is still an unknown commodity, and the rest of the depth chart is known mediocrity. A Brandin Cooks trade wouldn’t singlehandedly fix Baltimore’s issues at the position, but he would easily be a huge upgrade. The Ravens never found a proper replacement for Marquise Brown last year, and Cooks has a similar skill set. While he’s not a 1:1 replacement, the Ravens could use him in a similar role and probably produce similar results.
2. Buffalo Bills
Stefon Diggs is still a great receiver, but the Bills need to add somebody else into the mix. The 2022 season proved that Gabe Davis is better in small doses, so the team needs to find a proper starter to line up opposite Diggs. Cooks is ideal for this offense, as he has the speed to get open deep, and Josh Allen’s rocket arm means that Cooks will never be in a part of the field that his quarterback cannot reach. The Bills are going to be battling the Bengals and Chiefs for AFC supremacy for the next few years, and they need all the help they can get to make sure they don’t waste their Super Bowl window.
3. New York Giants
The New York Giants somehow found a way to field a competent offense with Richie James, Darius Slayton, and Isaiah Hodgins as their top three wide receivers. Daniel Jones took a huge step forward in his first season under Brian Daboll, and it stands to reason that he can continue to improve if he starts throwing to NFL-caliber receivers.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
The rich just keep getting richer. The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs had the best offense in football last year, but they never truly found a deep threat to replace Tyreek Hill. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is better suited as a role player, and Cooks is a more dangerous and well-rounded player. The Chiefs currently have over $11 million in cap space, so they have the financial ability to bring back key players like Juju Smith-Schuster and Orlando Brown while adding Brandin Cooks via trade.
5. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints do not believe in rebuilding. Widely considered the favorites to land Derek Carr, the team clearly believes that can compete for a title with their current roster. With that in mind, the Saints will need to add another receiver into the mix. Chris Olave is phenomenal, but the team needs a reliable second option. Cooks’ speed would be a perfect complement for this offense, and if there’s any team that would know how to use Cooks, it’s the one that selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft all those years ago.
Main Photo: Robert Deutsch
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