Patriots vs. Cowboys for WR Brandin Cooks Trade? What's Texans Cost?

Houston recently wanted a second-round pick for Brandin Cooks - which the still-receiver-needy Dallas Cowboys at the time were pretty much willing to give. Would the New England Patriots want in to "win the deal''?

The much-traveled Brandin Cooks has been a good soldier over the last couple of years while toiling for the woeful Houston Texans. But at the trade deadline, he almost made his escape. And at the end of the season, he revealed he didn't wish to play for a loser anymore.

Can the New England Patriots swoop in and bring the highly productive receiver back "home''?

Some item-by-item thoughts ...

*New England obviously needs a talent boost at the position. Yes, the weird coaching setup under Bill Belichick, Matt Patricia and Joe Judge and players involved in secrets and ultimately in conflict, also hurt. But maybe if QB Mac Jones actually had top-notch targets to throw to ...

*Bill O’Brien is the new coordinator. He once oversaw the trade that brought Cooks to Houston. He gets it.

*Jakobi Meyers is a free agent, and we can mention other guys in the wideout room that figure to be gone, too, but ... why bother? That's how insignificant the overall group is.

*We have written about the idea of Patriots having been linked to DeAndre Hopkins - and that trade with the Cardinals would represent a huge upgrade. But somebody might wish to ask Hopkins - another former Texans standout - if he's interested in working for O'Brien again.

Last time around, the Houston front office created ... issues. And engineered one of the worst trades in NFL history.

*Cooks' contract situation at the deadline was complicated. And Houston wanted a second-round pick - which the still-receiver-needy Dallas Cowboys at the time were pretty much willing to give. An offseason contract, re-done, would be easier to make work. The trade price? New England would need to "win the deal,'' arguing that Cooks is coming off a mediocre year (57 passes for 699 yards and three touchdowns, though the mediocrity wasn't his fault) and that he turns 30 in September.

*But ... he can still fly. The reason he's been traded so many times isn't because his teams don't want him - it's because other teams do want him. The Patriots know all of this first-hand, as in 2017, his single season in New England, Cooks caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, with a career-high 16.6 yards per reception.

All of that can be recaptured - if the Patriots can "win the trade.''

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