Cooks has succeeded where so many others have failed.
The New England Patriots didn’t know what they were getting when they shipped a first round pick and some extra change to the New Orleans Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Well, they had some idea- Cooks racked up 161 yards and a touchdown on 6 preseason touches against the Patriots in 2015 and 2016- but they couldn’t know what the 5’10 receiver would bring to the table in a new offense.
It’s fair to say that Cooks is exceeding any and all expectations through seven games.
Cooks has been a staple in the Patriots offense as a starting receiver. He has 46 targets, indistinguishably different from the 47 targets James White, Chris Hogan, and Rob Gronkowski all share (yes, the Patriots offense is that balanced). Cooks has 28 receptions, no different from the 29 catches by Gronkowski and Danny Amendola or the 28 by Hogan.
But it’s the 537 receiving yards and additional 10 yards on the ground that separates Cooks from the other receivers on the Patriots. Those 537 receiving yards ranks third in the entire NFL behind only Antonio Brown and A.J. Green as Cooks has developed into an elite receiver for the Patriots offense.
“Brandin’s got great speed, but Brandin does a lot of things really well – not only speed, quickness and such a smart player,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says about the receiver. “I’ve loved having the opportunity to work with him. We’re still growing, I would say, and still working to find ways to get him the ball more often. I mean, he’s done such a great job for us this year. It’s just been really fun working with him.”
The 537 receiving yards is the 9th most by a Patriots receiver through seven games under Bill Belichick, and Cooks joins 2007 Randy Moss and 2007 Wes Welker as the only two receivers to crack 500 yards in their first seven games in a Patriots uniform. All other players had a few seasons in the system before they flourished.
“He works hard, very diligent, tough, durable, a smart guy that will do whatever you ask him to do,” head coach Bill Belichick says about Cooks. “Whatever you ask him to do he wants to know exactly how you want it done. He tries to do it that way. He’s a pleasure to coach.”
Cooks made the game-winning grab against the Houston Texans and he’s developed into a receiver capable of making catches at all levels of the field. The Patriots love targeting him deep- his percentage of targets 15+ yards down the field has increased from 31.6% with the 2015-16 Saints to 43.5% with the 2017 Patriots- and they’re slowly integrating him into their short-ball offense.
Cooks currently ranks 4th in the league in yards from scrimmage per game by wide receivers with 78.1, behind Brown, Green, and Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs, and he’s slowly increasing his touches per game.
“He's just done such a great job and I just can't say enough good things about him and his work ethic and his ability and his character and his intensity and his attitude,” Brady added about Cooks. “It's all positive. He's just fun to be out there with. I've played with a lot of great receivers over the years and he just shows up and does everything you ask him to do.
“I wish I could get him the ball more often. You watch the tape after the game and go, ‘man, I should've worked him on that play,’ ‘should've got it to him on that one too.’ He just keeps getting more opportunity because of how well he's doing with the ones he gets. It's been a lot of fun.”
The 24-year-old receiver still has another season on his contract with the Patriots and should continue to develop his rapport with Brady and with the rest of the offense. Cooks joins Gronkowski (75.3), Hogan (54.0), and Amendola (54.0) in averaging over 50 receiving yards per game, as the Patriots are the only franchise with four such players. Add in running back James White (40.0) and the Patriots have the most balanced passing attack in the NFL.
If Cooks can gain 63 yards in week 8 against the Chargers, he will be the 10th receiver under Bill Belichick to crack 600 receiving yards in the first half of the season, joining Troy Brown (2001), David Givens (2004), Wes Welker (2007, 2011, 2012), Randy Moss (2007, 2009), Rob Gronkowski (2015), and Julian Edelman (2015). That is incredible company for Cooks in his first year with the Patriots.
While most new receivers struggle with the Patriots offense, Cooks has picked up the playbook in a way reserved only for the franchise greats. Cooks is only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of accomplishing and as he gets more involved Cooks could take the Patriots offense to new heights.
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