Philadelphia Eagles: No Brandin Cooks, no problem

Another day, another veteran wide receiver linked to the Philadelphia Eagles; at this point, should anyone be surprised?

On Thursday, news broke that Howie Roseman and company were one of the front offices interested in trading for veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks… at least until he signed a new two-year extension to remain the top target for the Davis Mills show.

Is that a bit unusual? You bet, the Texans are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL next year and just traded away their franchise quarterback to fully embrace the rebuild, but for whatever reason, a huge payday, a featured role, or a chance to hit free agency just after his 30th birthday, Cooks opted to stick it out in Jalen Hurts‘ hometown, instead of catching passes from him this fall.

To some, this will go down as yet another example of the Philadelphia Eagles’ inability to upgrade their offense or worse, that a player like Brandin Cooks would rather stay with a bad team in Houston than compete for the NFC East in the City of Brotherly Love, but between you and me, I think this is actually a blessing in disguise. Why? Because he just wasn’t an ideal fit paired up with DeVonta Smith.

The Philadelphia Eagles need receivers who complement DeVonta Smith.

Brandin Cooks is an objectively good wide receiver. He’s surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in six of his eight professional seasons, has a yards-per-reception average of 13.8, and has produced in a variety of different offensive schemes in a variety of different roles.

While Cooks has become a fixture of the trade block, having been moved three times over his eight-year NFL career, he’s always netted his former team at least a second-round pick in compensation and has produced at least one 1,000 yard season for each of his professional teams. But what makes Cooks such an effective wide receiver? Is he a DeSean Jackson-esque speedster? A 50-50 ball specialist like Alshon Jeffrey? Or an agile slot like Nelson Agholor? Or a big slot like Jordan Matthews?

Easy: Brandin Cooks is the player Jalen Reagor was supposed to be heading into the NFL.

Measuring in at 5-foot-10, 183 pounds with 4.33 speed and a 36 inch vertical, Cooks is a fun offensive focal point. He’s picked up 30.7 percent of his yardage after the catch over the past four seasons, has 27 career games with at least one 40 yard reception, and has an ability to draw favorable matchups from the slot or the flanker spot. He can make something out of nothing on a screen pass out of the slot, make a money catch on a down-the-field go-route, and even feast on a steady dose of snaps down the middle of the field, be that on a slant, a dig, or a post.

Would Cooks likely play a solid role on the Philadelphia Eagles if the team exchanged a pick before he signed a two-year contract extension? You bet; Cooks would have excelled in the exact role Reagor was tasked with in 2021, only with a higher volume of targets, but is that really what the Eagles offense needs in 2022?

I’d argue no.

If 2021 proved anything, it’s that the Eagles have two quality options at wide receiver. Quez Watkins is an effective speedster who can make magic on the inside or out but isn’t a plus-route runner and can be neutralized by a defensive coordinator committed to taking away the deep ball. And as for DeVonta Smith? Well, he can pretty much do it all, from go-routes to under work and even comebacks made lethal by his exceptional route running abilities, but he’s still on the smaller side and did get bullied on by bigger, stronger cornerbacks when deployed on the line of scrimmage.

If the goal of the offseason is to reconfigure the receiving corps to get the most out of Smith’s talents, the Eagles would be wise to find a complementary piece who could theoretically bring out the best in his talents instead of a talented option who would ideally be deployed in a similar way.

Fortunately, there are a number of solid receiving options available in the 2022 NFL Draft who could help to do just that, including a few who could be available on Day 2 or even 3.

In the first round, there are a number of solid options who would complement Smith’s precision with the blunt force of a battle-ax, from USC’s London Drake – who could really excel as a JMatt clone in the slot – to Smith’s former teammate, Jameson Williams, and even Treylon Burks out of Arkansas, who has received some comps to Deebo Samuel of the Niners. While there are other bigger options later in the draft who could fill that prototypical X role in an offense, like Christian Watson out of North Dakota State, that position has proven much harder to develop than, say, the slot, as Howie Roseman has showcased.

Speaking of the slot, as our pal Honest NFL pointed out on Twitter, the Eagles could be in the market for a nimble, Wes Welker-type who can serve as an outlet option for Jalen Hurts when his primary targets are covered on a down-field concept. Securing the services of a player like Wan’Dale Robinson on late Day 2 or early Day 3 could prove to be a massive get, as his 5-foot-8 height could cause him to get under drafted versus his talents.

With five picks in the top-101 and 10 total selections to play with, double-dipping on the wide receiver spot in a loaded class might be a good idea.

Had the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Brandin Cooks, it likely would have been viewed as a W for the franchise. Had the team traded for Brandin Cooks and not surrendered a first-round pick, Howie Roseman would have been lauded for his crafty gamesmanship. But now that Cooks is effectively off the market, I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t the right player to play off of DeVonta Smith, who is the team’s WR1 by a good margin. To get the most out of the offense, and thus, the best out of Smith, the Eagles should look for players who better complement his game instead of a better version of Jalen Reagor, who was a weird fit on the field with his fellow former first-round pick.