When the Rams secured Brandin Cooks and the Patriots' fourth-rounder in a trade with New England for first- and sixth-round draft picks, the team didn't waste any time locking him up with a five-year extension worth $80 million this summer. Cooks is playing on his third team in three years, but coach Sean McVay and the Rams couldn't be happier to have him -- and they aren't worried about repeating their past with big-play wideouts.
According to Adam Caplan on Sirius XM Fantasy, McVay has wanted Cooks since last year, but the team couldn't pull off a trade with the Saints due to a lack of draft picks to give up. Caplan added that McVay has a "man crush" on Cooks and should be moving him around the formation quite a bit. Basically, don't expect another situation like that of Sammy Watkins, who had eight touchdowns but just 39 catches for 593 yards last season before the Chiefs signed him to a three-year deal worth $48 million (with $30 million guaranteed).
Last year with the Patriots, Cooks caught 65 balls for for 1,082 yards. He was largely a vertical receiver, but it sounds like the Rams have bigger plans for the former first-round pick.
Last season, Todd Gurley led the team with 64 catches, while then-rookie Cooper Kupp led the team in yards with 869. Cooks can bring volume and efficiency into the mix if the Rams use him correctly. And McVay proved last year that he has the capacity to do just that.
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