New England Patriots: Brandin Cooks excelled in off-man coverage

The New England Patriots traded away Brandin Cooks this offseason. By doing so, they have weakened their receiving core.

Prior to the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots made a big trade with the Los Angeles Rams to send wide receiver Brandin Cooks there. The Patriots acquired Cooks the season before from the New Orleans Saints, as they were looking to improve at wide receiver, especially down the field.

When Julian Edelman got hurt in the preseason, the addition of Cooks looked even better on paper. With the Saints, Cooks emerged as one of the top deep threats in the league. When he was with the Patriots, there was no different.

In what ended up being his one and only season with the Patriots, Cooks totaled 65 receptions, 1,082 receiving yards, and seven receiving touchdowns. Overall Cooks had a very strong season for the Patriots.

Recently, Pro Football Focus rated the best wide receivers against off-man coverage. In 2017, Cooks was ranked as the fifth-best wide receiver against off coverage in the NFL.

Seeing Cooks ranking well against off coverage isn’t too surprising. As one of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL, not making any contact against Cooks at the line of scrimmage can result in trouble for a defense.

Cooks certainly had some big plays for the Patriots down the field, as he was a nice weapon for Tom Brady to use. Now, the Patriots will be trying to replace his excellent production. Unfortunately, Julian Edelman will likely be suspended to start the season for the Patriots.

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The Patriots have a lot of depth at wide receiver, but losing Cooks will certainly be noticed. However, the Patriots got a good return in the trade with the Rams considering that Cooks will be a free agent at the end of next season. For the Rams, expect them to try and line Cooks up with space to work with on offense.