New England Patriots: Brandin Cooks becoming more involved on offense
By Nick Ziegler
The New England Patriots had an impressive win against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday in Mexico City. In the win, Brandin Cooks dominated.
This offseason, one of the biggest trades was the one between the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots. With that deal, the Patriots were able to acquire Brandin Cooks from the Saints in exchange for a package that included their 2017 first round pick.
It was very odd to see the Patriots make a deal that sent a draft pick away, but Cooks was clearly a great wide receiver in New Orleans and helped upgrade the Patriots’ offense. In recent years, the Patriots have been very content with short passes to players like Julian Edelman, and then let them work with yards after the catch.
In New Orleans, Cooks was one of the best big-play receivers in the league, and the Patriots certainly brought him in to help stretch the field. So far this season, Cooks hasn’t had a ton of big games for the Patriots, but he has played well for them this season.
Prior to the game against the Raiders, Cooks’ best game came in Week 3 against the Houston Texans. In the shootout win, Cooks totaled 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns. While that was a great game for Cooks, he might have played even better against the Raiders. In the win against Oakland, Cooks totaled a season-high 149 receiving yards, and he was clearly an elite threat for the Patriots down the field.
In addition to a few big catches, Cooks also did a good job working underneath, as he totaled six receptions on nine targets. The past few weeks, it really appears like Cooks and Brady are getting on the same page, as Cooks has been targeted by Brady just over nine times per game in the last three games.
Even though Cooks is a great wide receiver and Brady is a great quarterback, it does take time to build chemistry. Considering that Cooks is mostly a downfield receiver, that makes it even more difficult to work on timing. If the game against Oakland was any indication, Cooks is poised for a big end to the season.