Jaguars Special Team Spotlight: Logan Cooke

Jacksonville Jaguars special teams duo of Logan Cooke and Josh Lambo were one of the rare bright spots during the 2019 season. Here's how they fared and what they'll return for the upcoming season.

There wasn’t a lot to be excited about in terms of what the Jacksonville Jaguars did on the field during the 2019 season. The defense was scrambling for replacements at key positions all season long while the offense struggled to marry young talent with a wayward plan. One area though was consistent season long and provided a boost when needed; the special teams duo of Josh Lambo and Logan Cooke.

In this first of a two part series, we examine punter (and holder) Logan Cooke. 

Having one of the leagues most successful punters is of course a double-edged sword. It often means he had ample opportunity to see action which means the offense wasn’t scoring. Cooke punted 75 times during the regular season, tied for 10th most in the league, for 3,507 yards. His average of 46.8 yards per punt was ninth in the league. Those, as mentioned, can be read with a slight grimace, understanding what they really mean. However, there are two areas to check that better tell the story of Logan Cooke and the Jaguars punt team.

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The first is the punts net average, which is the total yards a punt traveled after factoring in the return yardage. Cooke’s punt net average was 44.5 yards, good enough for third in the NFL. That means opponent’s returned his punts an average of 2.3 yards. Several things factor in to a good net average. Credit must first be given to the punt coverage team. They make the stops to keep returners breaking free while honoring some of the more restrictive tackling rules in the game.

During the 2019 season, Cooke put 25 punts within the opponent’s 20-yard line while the coverage unit downed 11 of them with five within the opponents 10-yard line. Of five muffed punts, Jacksonville recovered two with one of those leading to a possession that led to a touchdown. They allowed only two returns of more than 10 yards (and one of 21 yards) while keeping 13 returns under 10-yards.

“I think Logan’s [Cooke] really made a big step when you think about it. I think that, as far as being number two [in the NFL] with net [yards per punt] which is important, that’s what you really look for. I do as a coach. I’m looking for the net, what yardage we’re actually getting, and I think he’s done a good job, head coach Doug Marrone said last November. 

"I think he has a good repertoire of different types of balls that he can kick. I think he has good command. I think he’s a good athlete. So, I think he’s been great. I think what people probably don’t – maybe aren’t able to know, because they’ve never played – is that when you put both on a player, a young player, when he’s doing kickoffs and doing the punting. I think he’s shown that he has ability to do both, because Josh [Lambo] had that injury, and I think he’s handled it extremely well. Because we just kind of just take it for granted. When I say, ‘We,’ I’m talking about me as a fan, and even me as a coach sometimes, when you watch a player and he’s doing dual roles for the punter, of kickoffs and punting. A lot of times you’re going to lose some type of consistency in one part of that game or the other, and he puts a lot into it, and I think he’s done a really good job with it.”

The second is the percentage of fair catches. Of Cooke’s 75 punts, 34.75% (26) were fair catches with one more—his first of the season—gaining no yardage despite no fair catch being signaled. In conjunction with the 11 downed punts, that means 38 of the Jags punts—57.75%—were essentially stopped before any chance of a return.

As mentioned, credit must deservedly be given to the punt unit. But that credit goes hand in hand with a tip of the hat to Logan Cooke. He can’t outkick his coverage and has proven an ability to adjust his hang time in order to continue keeping more than half of his punts from being returnable.

No punt is a better example of this than one against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the line of scrimmage in opponent’s territory—the Bengals 40-yard line—Cooke was given little room to work without risking a touchback; not the worst result but not the one sought after. He put up a 28-yarder, giving it enough hang time that the Jags forced a fair catch at the Cincinnati 12-yard line. The Bengals sputtered from there with a three and out and Jacksonville went on to win 27-17. 

Cooke, the former seventh round pick, has also shown success in pulling off fake punts. Typically a fake out of punt formation sees the punter pull the snap and take off running. In the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers though, facing a 4th and 3 from their own 48-yard line, the Jaguars coaches put the ball in Cooke's hands, letting him toss a nine yard shot to Michael Walker that moved the chains. It kept the drive going and ended in a touchdown. 

The less Cooke sees the field in 2020, the better things are likely going for the Jacksonville Jaguars. When he does have to take the field though, he's proven to be one of the more consistent and dependable aspects for the Jaguars, to flip the field for the defense and take care of the ball whenever it's in his hands.