Getty Wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams catches a touchdown over cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon #23 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of the game at Levi's Stadium on December 21, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns‘ continued search for a No. 2 wide receiver has led them into trade discussions centered around one of the NFL’s premier downfield threats.
Brad Stainbrook of The Orange and Brown Report said on Sunday, April 2 that the Browns have been engaged “in talks” with the Houston Texans concerning a potential deal for wideout Brandin Cooks.
“The Browns have had talks with the Houston Texans regarding receiver Brandin Cooks at times this offseason, a league source tells TheOBR,” Stainbrook wrote. “The extent of those talks is unknown, but the Browns have called on the former first-round draft pick as they continue to explore possible options.”
Also rumored to be interested in Cooks are the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys.
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Cooks’ Speed Represents Legitimate Deep Threat For Browns
GettyWide receiver Brandin Cooks of the Houston Texans reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on December 19, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The New Orleans Saints drafted Cooks out of Oregon State University with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Cooks played three seasons with the Saints before joining the New England Patriots for one year in 2017. The wide receiver next landed with the Los Angeles Rams, where he played the following two seasons. Cooks spent both 2020 and 2021 as a member of the Texans.
Cooks’ speed has kept him a legitimate deep threat throughout the course of his eight-year NFL career. The wideout has caught 573 passes and tallied 7,917 receiving yards to complement 46 touchdowns over that time, per Pro Football Reference. Cooks averages 13.8 yards per reception for his career, including three seasons in which he averaged more than 15 yards per grab. Last season in Houston, he caught 90 passes for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 11.5 yards per reception.
Cooks has also proven highly durable, appearing in at least 14 games every season of his professional career, save for his rookie year, in which he played in 10 contests.
Browns Consider Bringing Back Jarvis Landry For 2022 Season
GettyWide receiver Jarvis Landry, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, could return for the 2022 season.
Cooks is one of several players the Browns are considering for the No. 2 wide receiver position.
The team acquired Amari Cooper on March 12 via a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, presumably to serve as their No. 1 option. After Cooper joined the team, wideout Jarvis Landry asked Cleveland for permission to seek a trade. Two days later, the Browns released Landry to open up $15 million in salary cap space.
However, in the time since his release, the Browns added quarterback Deshaun Watson as a replacement for Baker Mayfield and made several other moves that have intrigued Landry into a potential return. Landry’s agent Roosevelt Barnes told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com on Monday, March 28 that there was “mutual interest” in bringing the wide receiver back to the Browns.
“That’s his home and he loves it there,” Barnes told Cabot. “There’s mutual interest in him being back there, but Jarvis also has interest from some other teams as well.”
“When you’re a receiver, you always want to play with a great quarterback like Deshaun,” Barnes added. “Jarvis has always had a special place in his heart for Cleveland, but Deshaun being there makes it more intriguing.”
The Browns have also been linked to a potential reunion with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and are rumored to share “mutual interest” in acquiring Will Fuller, a former teammate of Watson’s with the Texans.