One way or another, the Patriots need dynamic talent at wide receiver around Mac Jones in 2023.
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A recent proposal from Pro Football Focus brings a talented pass-catcher to the Patriots via trade — just not the one you think.
Cap analyst Brad Spielberger hinted Tuesday that it wouldn't cost much for New England to potentially bring back receiver Brandin Cooks, who was part of the 2017-18 Super Bowl team, to help bolster a wide receiver-needy squad this season.
“Despite the tumultuous past three seasons in Houston, Cook earned an 82.1 cumulative receiving grade, which was a top-30 mark at the position. His 1.90 yards per route run ranked in the top 25, his 66 explosive receptions ranked 17th and his 30 receptions on balls thrown 20-plus yards downfield ranked eighth,” writes Spielberger of Cooks, who will turn 30 this season.
“Cooks remains one of the better deep-ball trackers in the NFL, with the ability to consistently handle significant volume. He had at least four receptions in 11 of 13 games in 2022 — and he probably would have even more impressive stats if he had played elsewhere.”
Despite having Davis Mills and a cadre of bad quarterbacks throwing to him, Cooks put up 1,037 yards receiving in 2021 and 699 yards in 13 games last year. One would figure he could get at least that with Jones and a better overall supporting cast than Houston had.
Only having to send a single third-round pick, rather than a first-rounder (plus others) AND big payday required for Tee Higgins, might also make this a more enticing value for New England. Then, for good measure, throw in both Cooks’ past involvement with the Patriots to current offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien being the one who traded for Cooks while coaching the Houston Texans as dots to connect.
That said, if the Patriots want a 5-10, 180-pound-ish receiver to spice up their offense, one could argue they should just draft Zay Flowers or Jordan Addison and have them on the cheap the next few years instead of paying Cooks $18 million guaranteed.
Also, Cooks, while good, isn’t necessarily the top-tier target it would take to make the Patriots great, and he’s probably already hit his ceiling as a player, which Flowers and Addison certainly have not.
Still, there’s no doubt Cooks could help Jones and the Patriots get back on track in 2023. If they were to make this move, it would both lessen the blow of losing Jakobi Meyers (which they almost certainly would in this scenario) and would allow them to focus the draft and free-agent attention on other important positions, like offensive line and cornerback.
It’s not exactly trading for Higgins, but it’d be very much more than doing nothing at the receiver position, which New England can’t afford to do.