Proposed Broncos Trade Sends 1,000-Yard WR With Sean Payton Ties to Denver

Getty Houston Texans WR Brandin Cooks smiling after scoring a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With the offseason under way, the Denver Broncos are in need of making sure their offense becomes elite and one way to do that is by adding more weapons for quarterback Russell Wilson.

Last season the Broncos ranked last in points per game on offense, but that should change this season after trading for head coach Sean Payton.

In a recent article from Bryan Knowles of ESPN.com, the analyst thinks that the Broncos should go out and trade for Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

Knowles mentions that we haven’t been able to see all of Denver’s wide receiver trio of Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Tim Patrick all on the field long enough to judge them together. All three of the pass catchers have dealt with injuries over the past two seasons as well.

Knowles added that Denver needs a reliable speed option for the Denver offense, “Even when they’re all healthy, however, they’re missing one aspect — speed. Sutton notably struggled to separate from defenders this past season, and neither Jeudy nor Patrick exactly take the top off the defense, either; that was a role given to the KJ Hamlers of the world. There is no DK Metcalf-type here for Wilson to bomb the ball out to, no patented pre-Brees-noodle arm deep threat for Sean Payton like Devery Henderson or Robert Meachem.”

Cooks Has a Connection With Payton

In 2014, Cooks was drafted by Payton and the New Orleans Saints with the 20th overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Cooks appeared in 10 games during his rookie season catching 53 passes for 550 yards and three touchdowns before suffering a broken thumb to end his first NFL season.

The following season, Cooks would breakout and catch 84 balls for 1,138 yards and got into the endzone nine times.

In Cooks’ final season with the Saints, he would have another monster year with 1,173 yards on 78 receptions and eight touchdowns.

In 2017, the Saints would trade away their young wide receiver and a fourth-round pick to the New England Patriots for a first and third-round pick in the 2017 draft.

Cooks Has Been Wanting Out of Houston

After Cooks was traded to New England, he was then traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2018 and then traded away again in 2020 to the Texans.

Despite having two-1,000-yard seasons during his three years in Houston, Cooks has not been happy with the organization and has been wanting to be traded, but Houston has failed to do so.

According to CBS Sports, Cooks reiterated that he has requested a trade one day after the 2022 season was over.

Cooks was also frustrated with the organization for not dealing him at the trade deadline during the middle of the season.

In the three years of playing in Houston, the Texans have won just 11 games with five different starting quarterbacks and three different head coaches.

With the Broncos shopping Sutton around, per Matthew Berry, maybe the Broncos could send Sutton to Houston for a frustrated Cooks and a draft pick in return.