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Brandin Cooks Trade Rumors: Rams Could Deal WR After 2 Seasons with Team
March 16, 2020
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks might be available on the trade market.
According to Mike Silver of NFL.com, Cooks "could be traded again this offseason" as the Rams look to retool their roster after a disappointing 9-7 season that ended without a trip to the playoffs:
Cooks, 26, had a down season in 2019, registering 42 catches for 583 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. It was the first time since his rookie season in 2014 that he didn't exceed 1,000 receiving yards.
He's clearly moved down the team's pecking order in the passing game, with wideouts Cooper Kupp (94 receptions, 1,161 yards, 10 scores) and Robert Woods (90 catches, 1,134 yards, two touchdowns) and tight end Tyler Higbee (69 receptions, 734 yards, three scores) all moving past him.
Running back Todd Gurley II is also an excellent pass-catching weapon, although he had a down season in that regard (31 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns) in 2019 as well. The Rams also have tight end Gerald Everett and wideout Josh Reynolds in the fold, which may make Cooks expendable.
"Personally, I just want to be the best I can possibly be to help my team get out of some of those situations," Cooks said in February (h/t Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire). "I feel like I truly am more hungry—like that hunger I had before I made it into the league. That fight and that want and that desire from my childhood has risen back to the surface after what went on last year."
The question will be what sort of market develops for Cooks. Teams poking around the Rams roster might be more interested in Woods, who was more productive in 2019 and carries a cheaper cap hit ($8.2 million) in 2020 than Cooks ($16.8 million), per Over the Cap. But trading Cooks would likely be more about clearing cap space than getting back valuable assets in return, which makes him the more likely player to be moved.
