The recent cuts by the Los Angeles Rams could prove beneficiary to the Green Bay Packers offseason positional needs. Jared Cook could be on Ted Thompson’s mind come free agency.
The Packers have the first piece of a nice 1-2 punch with second year tight end Richard Rodgers. The former Golden Bear has a nice presence as a red zone target, displaying great catching ability while using his tremendous size to his advantage. But Rodgers struggles in the open field getting yards after the catch and breaking tackles. The addition of Jared Cook could balance that.
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The Packers have over $20 million in cap space left for free agents and re-signing their own, and it might be wise to allocate some of that money to sign Jared Cook, who was released from the Los Angeles Rams.
Going into free agency, Cook is easily going to be the one of the most sought-after targets for tight end hungry teams. Paying for Cook’s talent won’t come on the cheap, but that’s fine because the return on investment will be substantial.
Here is a casual GIF of Jared Cook making the Arizona Cardinals’ secondary look like nonsense. For your amusement of course.
Richard Rodgers isn’t usually known for catching balls downfield and beating safeties to the edge. Jared Cook is another story.
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Cook is clearly not a blocking tight end but his downfield speed and pass catching ability more than makes up for it. For being 6-foot-5 and over 250 pounds, Cook really knows how to turn on the jets in open space. When he was a rookie, at the combine he posted a 4.50 second 40-yard-dash. He has the size and speed to be a mismatch against linebackers and his size gives him an advantage in contested catches against safeties.
When you look at the production he’s managed to put up in his career despite having a different leading passer in each of his seven NFL seasons, he’s done pretty well for himself. He hasn’t exactly been put in the most potent offenses and the best situations to shine but still manages to put up above average numbers. Now imagine him in an offense with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers. In the Packers pass attack, Cook could break his personal bests and possibly have a shot at being one of the best tight ends to ever play with Green Bay.
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Despite the impressive numbers, Cook has never made it to a Pro Bowl. In each of his past five seasons, Cook has kept a consistent stat line for being in unstable offenses. Cook recorded more than 450 yards and 39 receptions per season. If the workload increases for Cook, he could have a few spectacular years in Green Bay to end his career.
Cook turns 29 this spring but shows no sign of slowing down yet. Green Bay could have three or four good seasons out of the veteran tight end. If the Packers can lure Cook to the frozen tundra, their offense will be an incredibly dangerous unit for the 2016 season.