New Orleans Saints learned how to unleash Brandin Cooks

Coming into the 2015 season, I wasn’t completely sold on New Orleans Saints second-year wide receiver Brandin Cooks‘s ability to lead the passing attack as a No. 1 receiver. The truth is, he didn’t need to, as he instead formed an excellent combo with out-of-nowhere standout Willie Snead, and, in the process, he became one of the NFL’s most lethal weapons.

If we’re talking about pure, unadulterated upside at the wide receiver position, then New Orleans Saints 2014 first-round pick Brandin Cooks has to be one of the first players mentioned. No, he doesn’t catch as many passes, and, no, he doesn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers like fellow 2014 wide receiver stars Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, and Allen Robinson.

What Cooks does, however, is consistently win vertically, find space in shorter regions of the field, and break loose for monster gains. Even if you have a good free safety like the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, or Detroit Lions, Cooks will still burn you to a crisp. After all, the arrow-shooting Saint slammed triple-digit receiving yards on all three of those defenses this season.

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Prior to his season-ending injury, Cooks had an encouraging rookie season with 5.3 receptions per game, but “dynamic” wouldn’t be the way to describe his first season. Yes, Cooks looked just as quick in the NFL as he did on tape while at Oregon State, but three touchdowns and 10.4 yards per reception are hardly explosive numbers.

This season? Yeah, let’s just say those numbers were flipped on their heads. Cooks averaged 13.5 yards per reception, which is always impressive for a 5’10” receiver, and he crossed the goal-line nine times to lead the team. In case you were furrowing your eyebrows there, I will re-state this: Cooks led the Saints with nine receiving touchdowns, meaning that he had three more TDs than 6’3″, 255-pound veteran TE Benjamin Watson (six).

Anyone familiar with Cooks’s skill-set, college tape, or the basic package of highlight clips that the NFL provides on YouTube knows that Cooks is explosive. I mean, Cooks = explosive is as ingrained of an equality as Drew Brees = accurate, Brandon Browner = physical, or D.J. Hayden = bust.

So the Saints wisely dialed up more deep passes for Cooks this season, and it’s safe to say that it worked. Cooks ended up opening so much of the offense for the Saints, and I’m sure his regular forays to the deeper ends of the gridiron gave running backs Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower a nice boost this season.

According to Pro Football Reference, Cooks’s 45 targets when at least 20 yards downfield were the seventh-most in the NFL, and his role as the Saints main deep threat looks all the more important when you remember that No. 2 receiver Snead had less than half of the number of deep targets Cooks did.

8.84 yards per target is a pretty crisp total for a No. 1 receiver, and Cooks did a nice job of snaring about 65% of what Brees threw his way. And with a lower drop rate than the likes of Jarvis Landry and Anquan Boldin, Cooks didn’t let many of the chances Brees sent his way go to waste, which is important for a player who earned a team-high 129 targets.

Remember, Cooks will be just 22 when the 2016 regular season opens up, and he won’t turn 26 until later on in the season’s first month. His upside continues to be mouth-watering, and with Brees most likely set to return, Cooks should have an even bigger 2016 in his third season after an already-impressive 84/1,138/9 line serving as a sophomore breakout.

Nov 15, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) runs with the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

For Cooks, the key was greater consistency, and that’s exactly what he achieved in the second half of his second season. It’s hard to remember the last time Cooks had a truly poor performance, and the fact that he’s caught more than half of his targets in every game since Week 4 serves as a reminder of this.

When you combine his vertical playmaking with his steadily increasing week-in and week-out consistency, you get a guy who fits in perfectly as what I call a “combo” receiver. He’s too good to be a No. 2 receiver but not complete enough to be a No. 1 guy, so he’s the type of playmaker who excels with a solid partner like Snead across from him.

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The Saints have figured out how to harness Cooks’s talent best without taking him out of his comfort zone, but, of course, this comfort zone will expand in his third season. If you aren’t excited by what he’s shown this season, then the only explanation I can come up with is that you are enthralled by boring plodders like Jason Avant.

Cooks is a scary weapon, and the Saints did a great job of scratching the surface with him. He’s not a no-questions-asked lead dog deep threat like T.Y. Hilton, but Brees can’t complain about having him as the best receiver on the roster.

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