Wide receiver Brandin Cooks is heading to the fourth team of his career as the LA Rams are working on trading him to Houston.
Cooks will head to the Texans along with a 2022 fourth-round draft pick and in return they will send their second-round draft pick to the Rams.
The move has left many fans confused as it seems like a knee-jerk reaction to the loss of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Texans.
Hopkins was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in a bizarre move general manager Bill O’Brien has so far been unable to really explain.
The Texans shipped Hopkins to the Cardinals in exchange for injury-prone running back David Johnson and some future draft picks.
It is rumoured Hopkins was asking to be paid and, to be fair to him, he was getting far below the market value so even that excuse from O’Brien doesn’t really make sense.
Many expected the Texans to draft a talented wide receiver from a deep draft pool with their second-round draft pick which they have just handed to the Rams.
Even if you ignore the money part and the loss of Hopkins, trading away a second-round pick doesn’t make sense because of how much potential there is at wide receiver in this year’s draft class.
Houston now only has just three draft picks in the first 111 selections and none in the first round.
Their highest is pick no. 40 in the second round which they acquired from Arizona in the Hopkins trade but now with four wide receivers on the depth chart, it’s difficult to see them add another.
READ MORE: Hopkins trade – Bill O’Brien is as crazy as we thought
It was expected they would use the remaining second-round pick to draft someone to help them stop the pass rush after Deshaun Watson was sacked more than any other QB last year.
It’s true Brandin Cooks is probably going to be a more reliable receiver in the next few years than gambling on a rookie but how much longer after that can he keep going?
And if the Texans were so concerned about immediate success in the next few years, why trade away your star wide receiver?
Brandin Cooks is concussion-prone
The 26-year-old Cooks is heading into his seventh NFL season and, while he has produced four 1,000+ seasons in the past, he has been plagued with concussions.
In fact, Cooks has suffered five concussions in six years and has faced questions of retirement from reporters so even his short-term value over that of a rookie is questionable.
Last season, unsurprisingly, was also the least productive of his career with 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns.
In short, Brandin Cooks, whose expensive contract is worth $81 million with four years left, is no replacement for DeAndre Hopkins.
Brandin Cooks will join Will Fuller, Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills along with tight end Darren Fells as passing targets for Deshaun Watson.
He is likely to be the top receiving target if he can shake his injury problems from last season and gives Watson a deep-threat.
But he will have to be sensational to dispel fans’ concerns about the loss of Hopkins.
And let’s not forget, if they decide to hang on to him past one year, he will come with a hefty price tag.
It looks like the Texans have decided to try and replace an All-Pro wide receiver with a less-productive albeit seasoned veteran just to save a bit of cash.
As soon as Hopkins was out the door, the Texans scrambled to snatch a receiver to fill the void but only time will tell if it pays off.
The decision was not a popular one for the LA Rams either as they have shipped off two veterans in the shape of Brandin Cooks and RB Todd Gurley.
What do you think? How do you rate the Houston Texans’ off-season decisions so far?
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