Brandin Cooks Traded to Houston Texans

[RamnSD]

Too bad the Rams signed him to an $81 million contract in 2018. Cooks is costing them $21.8 million in dead money this year.

 

[thirteen28]

The below is from enemy territory propaganda machine read @ own risk!

"The Rams are paying 1/5 of their salary cap to players that are no longer on their roster"

All in an attempt to extend Jalen Ramsey, who may not even sign

www.ninersnation.com

Counterpoint to the enemy propaganda: You guys are paying Jimmy Garrapolo to be your starting QB.

Touche'

 

[So Ram]

I do think that TGs goal line talent will be missed. He has been incredible at getting into the End Zone.

That is real true. He also loved to stay in bounds & come up short of scoring to win a game which was cool to see.When his head was in the game he could take over. I think he could have been used better in basic 3rd down situations. Mcvay could have done a better job at that. Cooks was good with the Jet sweeps.

 

[Memento]

Counterpoint to the enemy propaganda: You guys are paying Jimmy Garrapolo to be your starting QB.

Touche'

The thread winner goes to the counterpoint. The Whiners fans can go fuck themselves with their original nonsensical point.

 

[Dodgersrf]

This move helps The Rams moving forward. This draft has some nice talent.
I wonder if that Wisconsin LBer falls to The Rams ? I keep looking back at The Rams 2017 draft. A RB is of need instead of a TE. Kittle was a steal for the 9ers, but I could see a trade back. Still think a WR can be had in late 3rd. Like Kupp & Reynolds were.

We now have 3 picks in the top 100.
We should be able to grab some solid prospects on Oline, Wr, lb or even rb

 

[Dodgersrf]

That is real true. He also loved to stay in bounds & come up short of scoring to win a game which was cool to see.When his head was in the game he could take over. I think he could have been used better in basic 3rd down situations. Mcvay could have done a better job at that. Cooks was good with the Jet sweeps.

I don't know what was going on with Gurley, but he had some issues with drops in the passing game last season.
Up until the Super Bowl, he was steller in the passing game.

 

[Merlin]

After the Cooks trade, I jumped into evaluating the second round WRs. I hadn't spent much time on them before because we weren't going to take a WR there. Now, it's possible we do. There are four names who stood out to me as guys I'd consider taking:
Tee Higgins
Denzel Mims
K.J. Hamler
Laviska Shenault

I realize you just threw some names up there but those guys are all over the map in their strengths and I expect the Rams to be very selective in bringing in the next wideout with an eye towards "making the offense great again."

The Rams do have the opportunity here to take a guy who needs a little work on the technical aspect of the position, i.e. route running, and prioritize explosiveness a bit thanks to JRey being on the roster and in a contract year where he should play well.

But... I still think McVay is going to target a route runner. If I had to guess what his directive to the scouts looks like...

1. Route running. Not a surprise of course by any stretch. But you don't want to get some dude who is so used to beating DBs with his athletic ability that he's going to take 3 years to get the route tree and even then can't sell every direction off the top of the stem. I am certain this is going to remain a priority.

2. Intelligence. McVay is a windfall for wideout types and QBs with his creative scheming and marrying run/pass but on the wideout side I think there's room to improve our offense with more optioned routes and adjustments as Goff keeps growing, which are going to require smart players. Kupp & Woody both are fantastic fits for this, Cooks was smart too in this offense. I think it's critical to the staff that whichever wideout they take impresses in interview.

3. Explosiveness. Wanted to put hands & catch radius here but as I look at what this WR corps actually needs it is not good hands. It's explosiveness. That's not to say I think they take a guy who has bad hands. They wouldn't of course. But I think they are looking for a field stretcher as part of that priority list.

So my question for you here is if you were to prioritize the three things above in every round (let's say McVay gave you those 3 things as the priority) how does that affect your list. I've been stacking things and gettin my film on since that trade but definitely curious to see your and the rest of the board's take on that.

 

[dieterbrock]

That's what happens when your team scores 3 points and you drop 2 touchdowns.

Didnt "drop" either.
Nice try though

 

[Liberator]

Rams Salary Cap: What did the Rams save against the salary cap in Brandin Cooks trade?

LA is up against the cap for 2020 but trading Cooks will make some room

www.turfshowtimes.com

Texans acquire Brandin Cooks from Rams

The Texans will look very different this season.

www.musiccitymiracles.com

Rams Draft Needs: Is WR a priority following Brandin Cooks trade?

Does receiver become a significant draft need after the team dealt away it’s speedy threat?

www.turfshowtimes.com

Why the Brandin Cooks trade is so disastrous for the Rams (and the Texans!)

The Rams are trading Brandin Cooks to the Texans for a draft pick, and somehow losing money in the process.

ftw.usatoday.com

The below is from enemy territory propaganda machine read @ own risk!

"The Rams are paying 1/5 of their salary cap to players that are no longer on their roster"

All in an attempt to extend Jalen Ramsey, who may not even sign

www.ninersnation.com

Which is going to make it even more embarrassing when we sweep them this season

 

[jrry32]

I realize you just threw some names up there but those guys are all over the map in their strengths and I expect the Rams to be very selective in bringing in the next wideout with an eye towards "making the offense great again."

The Rams do have the opportunity here to take a guy who needs a little work on the technical aspect of the position, i.e. route running, and prioritize explosiveness a bit thanks to JRey being on the roster and in a contract year where he should play well.

But... I still think McVay is going to target a route runner. If I had to guess what his directive to the scouts looks like...

1. Route running. Not a surprise of course by any stretch. But you don't want to get some dude who is so used to beating DBs with his athletic ability that he's going to take 3 years to get the route tree and even then can't sell every direction off the top of the stem. I am certain this is going to remain a priority.

2. Intelligence. McVay is a windfall for wideout types and QBs with his creative scheming and marrying run/pass but on the wideout side I think there's room to improve our offense with more optioned routes and adjustments as Goff keeps growing, which are going to require smart players. Kupp & Woody both are fantastic fits for this, Cooks was smart too in this offense. I think it's critical to the staff that whichever wideout they take impresses in interview.

3. Explosiveness. Wanted to put hands & catch radius here but as I look at what this WR corps actually needs it is not good hands. It's explosiveness. That's not to say I think they take a guy who has bad hands. They wouldn't of course. But I think they are looking for a field stretcher as part of that priority list.

So my question for you here is if you were to prioritize the three things above in every round (let's say McVay gave you those 3 things as the priority) how does that affect your list. I've been stacking things and gettin my film on since that trade but definitely curious to see your and the rest of the board's take on that.

I didn't just throw names out there. I made a list of all the guys expected to go from the late first to early third, watched them, and narrowed the list to the guys I liked. I didn't consider any guys who couldn't make plays down the field or run the routes asked of the player in Cooks's role (mainly vertical and speed cuts). Taking them one by one:

1. Tee Higgins - Long strider with sneaky vertical speed and contested catch dominance. Needs to improve his releases against press coverage. If he lasts to our first second round pick, we should sprint to the podium. He's a first round talent. I've seen comparisons to A.J. Green. They are justifiable.

2. Denzel Mims - Very physical with great athleticism and a massive catch radius. Has the speed to separate vertically, the quickness and physicality to uncover underneath, and the catch radius to be a red-zone threat. He also needs to improve his releases against press coverage. Unlikely to make our pick. Ultimate upside is Michael Thomas esque. DeVante Parker might be a more realistic expectation.

3. K.J. Hamler - Explosive speed reminiscent of DeSean Jackson. You can't teach his acceleration, explosive cuts, or top-end speed. Needs to polish up his routes, lacks size and play strength, and has average hands. Major vertical threat, can do damage on returns and jet sweeps/reverses, and could play inside or outside. Not going to make many contested catches. Upside seems to be DeSean Jackson, but may end up more like Ted Ginn Jr. with the Saints.

4. Laviska Shenault - Plays the game like Anquan Boldin and Juju. Built like a power HB, runs like a power HB, and uses his size and strength to bully CBs in his routes. Strong hands. Huge YAC threat. Needs to polish his route running (tips route depth based on tempo) and show better effort as a blocker. Has durability questions due to his physicality. Explosive acceleration allows him to separate, but his top-end speed isn't special. Will separate vertically because of his acceleration but fast defenders can recover to contest catches because he lacks the extra gear. Boom/bust prospect with MASSIVE upside.

On the guys I eliminated, Michael Pittman is a contested catch monster and very physical, but I think he's too tightly wound to run our route tree effectively. He's more of a linear athlete. Brandon Aiyuk is talented, but he makes more sense as a Woods replacement and needs a lot of development. Jalen Reagor is lethal with the ball in his hands, but he's small and not fast enough to play the role we want. Chase Claypool is super talented but too raw. I think he makes more sense as a guy who plays as sort of a TE/big slot hybrid. Devin Duvernay seems like a bad fit for our scheme, and his skill-set is kind of one of mismatched parts.

 

[RamsFanCK]

I don't know what was going on with Gurley, but he had some issues with drops in the passing game last season.
Up until the Super Bowl, he was steller in the passing game.

Yeah, that was crazy how his hands went from as soft as a fine woman’s tail to bricks over night

 

[RamsFanCK]

I believe it has more to do with being able to pay Kupp and Ramsey next year. I do not see this as an indicator that we are giving up on this year.

ok maybe not giving up, but not a planned SB push season is my thought

 

[Merlin]

I like creamy thighs. He'll be back one day.

.

Yeah that new avatar has been throwing me lol. Some posters I am so used to seeing the same avatar that when they change it it's like crossing the streams or something.

 

[Memento]

I didn't just throw names out there. I made a list of all the guys expected to go from the late first to early third, watched them, and narrowed the list to the guys I liked. I didn't consider any guys who couldn't make plays down the field or run the routes asked of the player in Cooks's role (mainly vertical and speed cuts). Taking them one by one:

1. Tee Higgins - Long strider with sneaky vertical speed and contested catch dominance. Needs to improve his releases against press coverage. If he lasts to our first second round pick, we should sprint to the podium. He's a first round talent. I've seen comparisons to A.J. Green. They are justifiable.

2. Denzel Mims - Very physical with great athleticism and a massive catch radius. Has the speed to separate vertically, the quickness and physicality to uncover underneath, and the catch radius to be a red-zone threat. He also needs to improve his releases against press coverage. Unlikely to make our pick. Ultimate upside is Michael Thomas esque. DeVante Parker might be a more realistic expectation.

3. K.J. Hamler - Explosive speed reminiscent of DeSean Jackson. You can't teach his acceleration, explosive cuts, or top-end speed. Needs to polish up his routes, lacks size and play strength, and has average hands. Major vertical threat, can do damage on returns and jet sweeps/reverses, and could play inside or outside. Not going to make many contested catches. Upside seems to be DeSean Jackson, but may end up more like Ted Ginn Jr. with the Saints.

4. Laviska Shenault - Plays the game like Anquan Boldin and Juju. Built like a power HB, runs like a power HB, and uses his size and strength to bully CBs in his routes. Strong hands. Huge YAC threat. Needs to polish his route running (tips route depth based on tempo) and show better effort as a blocker. Has durability questions due to his physicality. Explosive acceleration allows him to separate, but his top-end speed isn't special. Will separate vertically because of his acceleration but fast defenders can recover to contest catches because he lacks the extra gear. Boom/bust prospect with MASSIVE upside.

On the guys I eliminated, Michael Pittman is a contested catch monster and very physical, but I think he's too tightly wound to run our route tree effectively. He's more of a linear athlete. Brandon Aiyuk is talented, but he makes more sense as a Woods replacement and needs a lot of development. Jalen Reagor is lethal with the ball in his hands, but he's small and not fast enough to play the role we want. Chase Claypool is super talented but too raw. I think he makes more sense as a guy who plays as sort of a TE/big slot hybrid. Devin Duvernay seems like a bad fit for our scheme, and his skill-set is kind of one of mismatched parts.

I'd add Aiyuk or Claypool to the list. I think Claypool could definitely play at a big slot level or move to the outside and be our contested catch/redzone threat. Aiyuk has speed to burn, and while he's been compared to Woods, I think he's faster and could serve adequately as a deep threat.

And that's not even mentioning Tyler Johnson, who is absolutely my receiver crush. Maybe you trade one of those seconds for a third and a fourth and grab him?

 

[Ram Ts]

With our 2020 WR depth, Tyler Johnson might be perfect as a guy who can learn for a year before truly being needed in 2021. I just can’t see how any rookie WR gets big playing time with woods, CK, Reynolds and our new found two TE set.

 

[SuperMan28]

Cap move and combined with a strong draft class. But why now and not before free agency?

 

[CGI_Ram]

Cap move and combined with a strong draft class. But why now and not before free agency?

Hopkins trade?

 

[OldSchool]

Cap move and combined with a strong draft class. But why now and not before free agency?

Teams weren’t going to take him or Gurley before we became responsible for any roster bonuses.

 

[Dodgersrf]

ok maybe not giving up, but not a planned SB push season is my thought

I can buy into that.
We still have a talented team, but I wouldn't call it "stacked", the way it was in 2018

 

[jrry32]

I'd add Aiyuk or Claypool to the list. I think Claypool could definitely play at a big slot level or move to the outside and be our contested catch/redzone threat. Aiyuk has speed to burn, and while he's been compared to Woods, I think he's faster and could serve adequately as a deep threat.

And that's not even mentioning Tyler Johnson, who is absolutely my receiver crush. Maybe you trade one of those seconds for a third and a fourth and grab him?

Johnson is a Woods or Kupp replacement (I love Johnson, but he's not a Cooks replacement). He doesn't have vertical speed. Aiyuk also isn't a burner, needs development with his route running, and doesn't dominate in the air. I don't think he's a bad prospect, but he's not the right fit. Claypool, while super athletic for his size, is more of a TE mismatch than a WR mismatch imo. He's a mechanical mover and doesn't separate easily from DBs.