Texans trade for Brandin Cooks

Cooks has had 5 concussions. This guy is a huge injury risk and making $8 million.

 

How many games has he missed because of concussions?

 

Bill O’Brien couldn’t wait to continue altering the Texans’ offense. With less than two weeks until the NFL Draft, which features one of the deepest classes of receiver prospects ever, Houston’s head coach and general manager swung another trade.

The Texans have acquired receiver Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round selection from the Rams for the 57th overall pick in this year’s draft, a source confirmed. The move leaves Houston with one second-round selection — the 40th overall pick, which the team acquired in the DeAndre Hopkins trade — and it makes clear the Texans are prioritizing one thing above all else when it comes to receivers: field-stretching ability.

After a season in which Hopkins posted career-lows in yards per receptions and average depth of target, the Texans have rebuilt their passing attack around the speed of Will Fuller, Kenny Stills and Cooks, who has twice before been traded for a first round pick and overlapped in New England with O’Brien’s right hand man Jack Easterby. Cooks’ 14.8 yards per reception since 2015 rank fourth among receivers with at least 300 receptions during that time. As the Rams’ offensive line and quarterback Jared Goff struggled this past season, Cooks’ numbers dropped severely (42 receptions, 583 yards). But he had recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons prior to that. In 2018, when the team reached the Super Bowl, Cooks made 22 explosive catches — one fewer than Hopkins that season, but on 35 fewer receptions.

The Texans ranked 21st in pass plays that gained at least 20 yards last season, but if pushing the ball downfield becomes more of a priority under first-time play caller Tim Kelly, Houston has a quarterback capable of executing that plan. Deshaun Watson tied for 14th in pass attempts that traveled 15-plus yards downfield last season, but he ranked ninth in completion rate (46.7%), seventh in touchdown rate (10.3%) and 10th in yards per attempt (13.5).

Even if the move addresses an on-field need, though, it’s still worth questioning how O’Brien continues to determine value now that he’s leading the front office. To summarize his biggest moves this offseason: O’Brien has traded Hopkins and the 57th pick for Cooks, expensive running back David Johnson, the 40th pick and that 2022 fourth-rounder. That looks better than the Arizona deal did on its own, but it’s still an underwhelming haul considering Houston parted with an All-Pro receiver. It’s also a bit head-scratching that the Texans, who are already lacking much draft capital, gave up one of their best picks to add an expensive veteran at a position that’s so deep in the upcoming draft.

At least this time, unlike in the deal that acquired Johnson, the Texans aren’t taking on all of Cooks’ contract. A source told The Athletic’s Rich Hammond that the Rams will retain a $21.8 million cap hit for Cooks in 2020. According to Over The Cap, Cooks, who is under contract through 2023, will only count for $8 million against Houston’s cap this season, $12 million the year after, $13 million in 2022 and $14 million in 2023. Those are reasonable rates to pay, if Cooks stays healthy, but he has a troublesome history with concussions.

Code:

Hopkins vs. Cooks (2016-19)

Player            Yards/Game    Yards/Reception        TDs    Explosive Catches    First Down Rate
DeAndre Hopkins   84.5           13.1                  46     92                   70.80%
Brandin Cooks     66.4           14.8                  31     82                   63.60%

With Fuller and Stills both entering the last year of their respective contracts, receiver remains a need for Houston heading into the upcoming draft, just not as big of one. Besides slot man Randall Cobb, the team still lacks a chain-moving possession receiver, but it seems the Texans are no longer looking to build their offense around one man receiving an overwhelming proportion of the targets. For now at least, the plan appears to be to stretch defenses and take advantage of space created underneath.

After Watson recorded the league’s 24th-most throws to running backs a season ago, the Texans appeared keen on getting them involved in the passing game more this season. It’s why they traded for David Johnson even though they had a pass-catching back in Duke Johnson. But as this offense is currently constructed, tight ends will be important in establishing a short and intermediate passing game, too.

The Texans have brought back tight end Darren Fells following a career year, but he’ll be 34 this season. Will he be capable of a repeat performance? If not, more burden falls on third-year pro Jordan Akins, who improved last season, and perhaps Kahale Warring, the third-round tight end who was viewed as a developmental prospect coming out of San Diego State and spent his rookie year on IR.

It’s possible the Texans get better production from their tight ends and David Johnson experiences a resurgence here in Houston, that Cooks returns to Super Bowl form and Fuller thrives as a No. 1 option. But parlaying all of this appears to be a riskier bet than relying on Hopkins.

Seemingly sensing these optics last week, before Cooks was even headed to Houston, team chairman and CEO Cal McNair cautioned season-ticket holders on a conference call to look at not just the Hopkins trade, but all of the moves the team has made under O’Brien.

"I would think, as a fan, I would be really excited that your leadership of the team can make bold moves and go out and do these things to make the team better,” McNair said.

McNair was certainly right about the “bold” part. But whether the Texans are better for their recent moves is to be determined.

As O’Brien said on that same call, he’s trying to win in the postseason, not the offseason — though that hasn’t stopped him from staying plenty busy.

 

So he's KJo the WR?

 

Over/under 6 games before cooks retires

 

He really might just be the worst NFL GM in the history of the league.

 

Now get Swift with the 2nd rd pick

 

The Texans already have a boatload of veteran receivers. Would have been a good time to add a rookie.

This new guy may end up doing well. But, he gets concussions and he’s expensive.

Will there even be football in 2020? I’m not sure I care.

 

Seriously, Bill IS an idiot, but this trade really isn’t that bad. He’s done MUCH much much worse...

 

Your lips to God's ears, can't wait

 

https://theathletic.com/1737057/202...als-2nd-round-pick-to-rams-for-brandin-cooks/

Bill O’Brien made another move at wide receiver Thursday, sending a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

The deal

Per The Athletic’s Aaron Reiss, the Texans give up the 57th overall pick in the 2020 draft for Cooks and a fourth-round pick in 2022.

Why they made the move

Let’s start with the Rams. As detailed in a piece earlier Thursday on The Athletic, this offseason has been about trying to clean up past mistakes and moving toward more financial flexibility. The Rams tried to trade running back Todd Gurley but ended up releasing him. Here, they were able to recoup a second-round pick for Cooks.

Jared Goff has cap hits of $36 million and $32.5 million in the next two seasons. Aaron Donald is at $25 million and $27.9 million. They have to account for $20.15 million in dead money for Gurley. And they are almost certainly going to have to make Jalen Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in football. Bottom line: Any path back to the Super Bowl has to include getting quality contributions from young, inexpensive players on rookie contracts. And remember, they don’t have a first-round pick in 2020 or 2021 because of the Ramsey deal.

Cooks has been on the trading block all offseason. He’s due $8 million guaranteed in 2020, and then his salary bumps up to $12 million in 2021. The trade accomplishes two things for the Rams. One, they get to move Cooks’ remaining salary. And two, they get more draft capital. The Rams now have two second-round picks and four selections in the first three rounds. They have to try to replenish their roster with low-cost talent.

As for the Texans, this is yet another puzzling move by O’Brien. Cooks has had five diagnosed concussions in six NFL seasons. He has now been traded three times. And last year Cooks managed just 42 receptions for 583 yards and two touchdowns. To put that into perspective, last year No. 2 wide receivers league-wide averaged 668 yards. Cooks produced like a below-average No. 2 wide receiver in 2019.

In a trade column last week, I suggested that a team might be willing to give up a fourth and a conditional Day 3 pick for Cooks. I did not think a team would be willing to give up anything like the No. 57 pick overall.

Of course, any discussion of the Texans’ offseason has to include the DeAndre Hopkins trade, when O’Brien sent Hopkins and a fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson, a 2020 second rounder and a 2021 fourth rounder. Let’s take a look at the two deals combined.

Texans give up: Hopkins, a second-round pick (No. 57) and a fourth-round pick (No. 131).

Texans get: David Johnson, Cooks, a second-round pick (No. 40), a 2021 fourth-round pick and a 2022 fourth-round pick.

If we say the second-round picks and the fourth-round picks cancel out, they swapped Hopkins for Johnson, Cooks and a 2022 fourth. Keep in mind that Johnson had 345 rushing yards last season, and he was viewed by many in the league as untradeable because he’s due $10.2 million guaranteed in 2019. Would you rather have Cooks (given the risks detailed above) and Johnson for $18.2 million or Hopkins (1,165 receiving yards last year) for $12.5 million?

The answer there should be pretty simple.

Trade grade (Rams): C

If we look at this deal in isolation, given the circumstances, they at least got a nice return for Cooks. But we have to account for the big picture. The Rams are taking a cap hit of $21.8 million for a player who is not even going to be on their roster.

They’re digging their way out of a massive hole by acquiring draft capital and creating cap space for 2021, but the Rams were the ones who created the problem in the first place. They do not deserve any gold stars here.

Trade grade (Texans): D

The problem with giving them an F is that O’Brien set the floor with the Hopkins deal, and that’s going to be tough to beat. If you want to look at the glass half-full perspective, Cooks is only 26, he gives Deshaun Watson a deep threat, and if he can get back to his 2018 form, his $8 million salary will look perfectly reasonable.

But the decision-making process for the Texans has been suspect all offseason. They could have sat tight and drafted a wide receiver with the 57th overall pick. That player would have been on a cost-controlled contract of roughly $1.2 million per year. Instead, Houston is paying Cooks $8 million.

After trading Hopkins, they gave 30-year-old slot receiver Randall Cobb a three-year, $27 million contract. That was one year after Cobb’s best option on the open market was a one-year, $5 million deal with the Cowboys.

The Texans figured out the hard part in 2017 when they landed a franchise quarterback in Watson. His abilities provide them with a high floor and make them perennial playoff contenders. But the moves O’Brien has made around Watson continue to be baffling.

 

The offseason ain't over yet

 

The Texans gave up a #2 pick for a receiver on his 4th team, on his 5th concussion and coming off a season where he was just bad... a season in which he had two bad concussions.... and he is a rental for one season...

 

A #2 for an All Pro receiver under multiple years of control isn’t jack ****.

Giving up that same #2 for a receiver that has 5 concussions in the bank and played poorly last year after two nasty concussions? Different scenario, especially for a rental.

 

Cool, back out of the deal with AZ, keep Hopkins, then trade Fuller for help.