Brandin Cooks has been the missing piece the New England Patriots offense has been looking for over the years.
It has been a while since the New England Patriots have had a big-time, big-play receiver. You would have to go back to the days of 2007 when Randy Moss donned a Patriots uniform, on his way to setting record numbers. However, 10 years later they finally have one again. Brandin Cooks is his name and in case you have not heard of him, he is finding a role in New England that makes him impossible to ignore.
On March 11, the Patriots acquired Cooks in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. In exchange for Cooks, the team gave up their No. 32 pick (which ended up being Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramcyzk) and their No. 103 pick which came to them courtesy of the Cleveland Browns via the Jamie Collins deal ( Florida Atlantic defensive end Trey Hendrickson).
Immediately, Patriots fans had visions of Cooks running deep streak routes with quarterback Tom Brady throwing 60 yards down the field for touchdown after touchdown ala Moss. To be fair, comparing Cooks to Moss is unfair to Cooks himself. After all, Moss will go down as one of the greatest wideouts in the history of the NFL. Even still, Cooks is proving to be the deep threat that the Patriots have been lacking all these years.
On the season, Cooks has recorded 45 catches for 786 yards and four touchdowns. On Sunday against the Dolphins, seven passes came his way and he caught six of them for 83 yards and a touchdown. This marked the second game in a row with a touchdown for Cooks as he used Sunday to follow up a tremendous performance in Mexico last week. In that game, he caught six passes for 149 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots beat the Raiders, 33-8.
Related Story: 2017 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 13
It seems as though Cooks always has potential to make the big play down the field. Some of it has to do with his precise route running. He explodes off the line of scrimmage, putting the defender in a tough position before the ball is even thrown his way. Perhaps what is most impressive is his talent after the catch. Once he makes the catch, he is tremendous at making quick cuts to keep the defender off balance.
One advantage he has over Moss is the fact that he is not afraid to go across the middle of the field to make the catch. A 22-yard catch over said middle in the third quarter was exemplary of that. It is hard not to blame Moss for not wanting to go to the middle, but that was always a glaring weakness in his game.
Next: NFL QB Power Rankings 2017: Week 13
Cooks has cataclysmic potential every time he steps on the field. Between his speed, sure hands and meticulous route-running, he has been a tremendous asset to this Patriots offense. He has been the piece they have been missing for almost a decade. Now that they have it again, one has to wonder what his celling is (if there is one) for the rest of the 2017 season.