Jared Cook’s Role In Tennessee Titans Offense Continues To Decline

Oct 30, 2011; Nashville,TN, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook (89) congratulates teammate Tennessee wide receiver Nate Washington (85) for scoring a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at LP Field. Tennessee defeated Indianapolis 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook had requested a trade prior to the NFL’s trade deadline because of his displeasure with his role in the Titans offense. Titans head coach Mike Munchak said that he was committed to Cook and planned to get him more involved in the team’s offensive gameplan.

Now that we are a few weeks removed from the trade request, Cook’s role in the offense is continuing to decling.

Despite having one touchdown catch last week against the Dolphins, Cook was given fewer reps than the third tight end on the Titans depth chart — Taylor Thompson. Thompson played 24 snaps against the Dolphins, while Cook was on the field for 23.

“We have a third tight end that can do a lot of things,” said Munchank, “and that opens up a lot of lanes.”

Thompson is a converted defensive end. He is seeing the field more often as the Titans are turning to the running game to assist Jake Locker. Thompson is a much better blocker in all aspects of the game than Cook and it has led to his extended playing time.

If Cook was unhappy with his role in the offense prior to the trade deadline, his frustration with the team and their coaching staff can only be getting worse.