The Los Angeles Rams have seen what the San Francisco 49ers can do this season.
Now an old Rams playmaker, Brandin Cooks, is getting a chance to join their division rival.
Cooks is apparently signing with San Francisco’s practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday.
Schefter said the initial plan is to give Cooks time to get up to speed before he plays in games.
The agreement comes less than two weeks after the 49ers handed the Rams a 27-7 loss in the season opener in Melbourne, Australia.
For Rams fans, the name comes with memories. Cooks was once the field-stretching piece in one of the most productive Los Angeles offenses under Sean McVay.
Cooks Had Career Year With Rams Before Moving On
The Rams acquired Cooks from the New England Patriots in 2018, adding a receiver who could threaten defenses downfield alongside Robert Woods.
He rewarded that decision with 80 catches for a career-high 1,204 yards and five touchdowns in his first season with Los Angeles, per the Rams’ account of his production.
Cooks and Woods each topped 1,000 yards that year.
Los Angeles went on to reach the Super Bowl, with Cooks playing a prominent role in the passing game that helped carry it there.
His Rams stint was brief, but that first season left a clear mark, as he made an already dangerous offense harder to defend across the full width and length of the field.
The numbers fell in 2019.
Los Angeles said when it traded him to the Houston Texans in April 2020 that Cooks had totaled 122 catches, 1,787 yards and seven touchdowns over his two Rams seasons. That made his second-year line 42 catches for 583 yards and two scores.
The Rams ended up sending a 2022 fourth-round pick to Houston and received a second-round selection in the deal.
Since then, Cooks has continued to move around the league.
He spent last season with the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills, producing 24 catches for 279 yards between the two clubs.
His career total stands at 9,811 receiving yards, leaving him 189 short of 10,000, as Schefter noted.
49ers Add Familiar Name Amid Receiver Injuries
San Francisco’s interest comes with a practical need.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Demarcus Robinson sustained a high ankle sprain in the 49ers’ Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Robinson had taken on a larger role after injuries to Ricky Pearsall and De’Zhaun Stribling. Mike Evans also left the Miami game with a hip issue, although coach Kyle Shanahan said he could have returned if the game had been closer.
That leaves an opening for an experienced receiver to learn the offense and potentially help Brock Purdy later.
Cooks has played for several teams and is nearing a career milestone, but San Francisco will first have to decide whether and when to elevate him. Schefter’s report didn’t provide a date for his first game.
There’s a difference between the player Los Angeles knew in 2018 and the one San Francisco is evaluating now.
Cooks caught 24 passes last season, and the 49ers can give him time on the practice field before asking him to replace any of their injured receivers. His experience surfaces an alternative if their shortage persists.
The Rams, meanwhile, rebounded Monday with a 28-6 win over the New York Giants.
Their next meeting with the 49ers is scheduled for Dec. 13 in San Francisco.
Former Rams 1,204-Yard WR Signs With San Francisco 49ers