Houston Texans: Brandin Cooks trade adds plenty of insult to injury

The Houston Texans just traded the 57th pick in this year’s draft for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and a future draft pick. Was this a good move? Let’s look.

After Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien traded DeAndre Hopkins, arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver, to the Arizona Cardinals in a deal that made absolutely no sense, the Texans needed to boost their receiving core.

On the same day they traded Hopkins, the Houston Texans signed free agent veteran wideout Randall Cobb to a three-year, $27 million deal.

Today, it was just announced that the Texans acquired WR Brandin Cooks and a future fourth-round draft pick in exchange for this year’s 57th overall pick:

Texans acquire WR Brandin Cooks and a 2022 fourth-round pick from the Rams for the 57th pick in this month's draft.
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) April 9, 2020

Cooks will make $8 million this season and then will make $39 million the next three seasons if Houston decides to keep him.

Cooks, who has good speed and is a playmaker, has had with what feels like 1,000 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Rams. But like the rest of the Texans receiving core, Cooks is injury-prone. In his six seasons in the NFL, Cooks has suffered five concussions.

If Cooks stays healthy he will provide a major boost to the Texans receiving core, but this still does not make up for trading Hopkins for many reasons.

Firstly, the Texans said they traded Hopkins because they were not willing to restructure his contract, but the Cooks trade shows that Houston has no problem spending money at the wide receiver position. Over the next three seasons, Hopkins is slated to make nearly $40 million, an average of $13.33 million per season.

Assuming the Texans pick up Cooks’ option after this season, Cooks will make $47 million over the next four seasons, an average of $11.75 million per season. So essentially Houston is paying

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Cooks, an injury-prone receiver, close to the same amount they would be paying Hopkins, the top receiver in the league who plays through any injury.

Is O’Brien’s ego that domineering to where he has to prove a point of getting better production at a lower cost, even it includes trading away a future Hall of Famer?

I’d say yes.

Secondly, this trade does not make sense because this year’s wide receiver draft class is loaded. It would have made much more sense for the Texans, who are low on draft picks, to hang onto the 57th overall pick in this year’s draft.

By holding onto that pick, it would have allowed Houston to use their 40th overall pick on a wide receiver, especially with how much talent there is in this year’s wide receiver draft class, and use their 57th pick on either a pass rusher or cornerback, both of which the Texans desperately need.

Next. Texans: Signing Randall Cobb is a slap in the face to fans. dark

Feel free to comment below on your reaction to this trade and whether or not you think it was a good decision.

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