Former Saint Star To Face Off Against Team In Week 2 Clash

New Orleans faces the challenge of containing one of their own former stars when they take on the Cowboys this Sunday.

Sep 28, 2014; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) runs after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

New Orleans Saints fans will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline when their team takes on the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. Brandin Cooks, a wide receiver for the Saints from 2014 to 2016, is in his second year with the Cowboys.

Cooks' time with the Saints came to an unceremonious end with a trade in 2017. However, this is far from a 'revenge game'' for either side. Only three players or coaches even remain from New Orleans during the time that he was with the franchise.

Head coach Dennis Allen was a defensive assistant for the Saints in 2015 and 2016. Defensive end Cameron Jordan is the only remaining player still with the team during that stretch. Jahri Evans, currently a New Orleans offensive assistant, was a starting guard for all three of Cooks' years with the team.

While not a revenge matchup for New Orleans and probably not Cooks, fans of the team may feel differently. This game is in Dallas, but Saints fans can sometimes have negative feelings towards former players of their team. For some, it may also be a case of 'what might have been' when it comes to Cooks.

Brandin Cooks - Saints Tenure

Oct 26, 2014; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrates a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers / Crystal LoGiudice-Imagn Images

New Orleans traded up from the 27th spot to the 20th spot in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. They used that selection on Brandin Cooks, a lightning-fast wideout from Oregon State. After 2,881 receiving yards and 195 catches over his final two seasons with the Beavers, Cooks would join an explosive attack in New Orleans.

The Saints were led by legendary QB Drew Brees, who was still very much in his prime. Even in an offense with established stars like WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham, and backs Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, Cooks stood out as a rookie in 2014. An injury sidelined him for the last six contests of the year, but in 10 games Cooks had 53 receptions for 550 yards and scored four touchdowns.

With the offseason trade of Graham and decline of Colston in 2015, Cooks became the leading receiver for a Saints attack that led the league in passing. He had 84 catches for 1,138 yards and nine scores on the year, including four 100-yard outings.

Sep 13, 2015; New Orleans Saints receiver Brandin Cooks (10) catches a long pass against the Arizona Cardinals / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

New Orleans selected a big and physical wideout named Michael Thomas in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Thomas, Cooks, and WR Willie Snead combined for 242 receptions, 3,205 yards, and 21 touchdowns for a Saints offense that led the league in total offense and passing production.

Cooks pulled in 78 passes for a team-high 1,173 yards and eight scores. One of those was a 98-yard scoring reception against the Oakland Raiders that remains the longest offensive play from scrimmage in franchise history. During the year, Cooks had three 100-yard games and three more outings with at least 70 yards.

Thomas and Cooks were an incredibly productive tandem. Cooks had both the speed to take the top of a defense and the explosiveness to be a scoring threat after a short reception. Thomas countered by being dominant in traffic and nearly unstoppable on intermediate routes. However, it became clear in the latter stages of 2016 that Thomas was the number one receiver in the offense.

Unhappy with his usage in the offense, Cooks became discontent in the locker room and was reportedly becoming a distraction. This led to a trade to the New England Patriots during the 2017 offseason.

Cooks Trade

Sep 17, 2017; New England Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks (14) catches a deep pass against the New Orleans Saints / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

During March of 2017, the Saints traded Cooks and a 2017 fourth-round draft choice to the New England Patriots. In return, New Orleans got a 2017 first-round pick (31st overall) and a 2017 third-round choice (103rd overall).

The Saints used that first-round selection on Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk. That third-round pick was used on a defensive end from Florida Atlantic named Trey Hendrickson.

The trade worked out pretty good for New Orleans. Ramczyk is the second or third best offensive lineman in franchise history. Hendrickson was a key defensive contributor and had a breakout campaign in 2020 leading to big free agent money. Michael Thomas didn't just flourish after Cooks left, he put up record numbers for three seasons and was on his way to a sure-fire Hall of Fame career before being derailed by injuries.

Thomas, Ramczyk, and Hendrickson were key pieces of a New Orleans core that won four consecutive NFC South titles and were legitimate Super Bowl contenders each year. Since the trade, Brandin Cooks has had a nomadic but productive career.

Post-Saints Cooks Career

September 15, 2019; Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks (12) catches a pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After New Orleans traded him away, Cooks had 65 catches for 1,082 yards and seven scores in 2017 with New England. He finished second on the team to Rob Gronkowski in all three categories, yet was traded away after that one season.

Cooks was traded from the Patriots to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2018 offseason, again netting a first-round pick in return. Cooks had 80 catches for 1,204 yards for the Rams in 2018, second on a squad that won (robbed) their way to an NFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance.

Perhaps in ultimate irony, Cooks played in Super Bowl LII with the Patriots, who'd lose to the Philadelphia Eagles. The following year, Cooks was on a Rams squad that was handed a Super Bowl LIII trip by the refs against the Saints. That Rams team would lose that Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

After just 42 catches for 583 yards in 2019 with the Rams, Cooks was again traded away during the offseason. This time, he was dealt to the Houston Texans for a second round draft choice in return. Cooks bounced back statistically in 2020, pulling in 81 passes for 1,150 yards, then managing 90 catches for 1,037 yards for Houston in 2021.

In 2022, Cooks' production slipped to 57 catches and 699 yards. After the year, he was shipped off again. This time, the Dallas Cowboys were the trade partner for a sixth round choice. In his first season with Dallas, Cooks had 54 receptions for 657 yards and eight scores.

Cooks vs. Saints

Jan 20, 2019; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) catches a pass against New Orleans Saints cornerback Eli Apple (25) / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

Brandin Cooks has played against the team that drafted him just four times since being traded away. The first time was in just his second game as a Patriot after being dealt by the Saints. New England won that game in New Orleans, 36-20, as Cooks caught two of his four targets for 37 yards and rushed two times for six yards.

Cooks returned to New Orleans during the 2018 regular season, this time with the Rams. New Orleans won a 45-35 shootout, but Cooks pulled in six of his eight targets for 114 yards and a touchdown.

The 2019 NFC Championship Game was a Saints-Rams rematch, again in New Orleans. In perhaps the most blatant travesty in NFL history, the Rams were gifted a 26-23 overtime victory and the conference title. Lost in the corruption was that Cooks led all players with 107 receiving yards while catching seven of his eight targets.

New Orleans would again square off with their former receiver as a member of the Rams early in the 2019 season, this time in Los Angeles. Cooks again got the better of his former employer, pulling in three receptions on four targets for 74 yards and a score in a 27-9 Rams win.

In four career games against the Saints, Brandin Cooks had 18 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps just as impressive was the fact that he pulled in 75% of his targets.

What Might Have Been

Aug 13, 2015; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) breaks a big gain against the Baltimore Ravens / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Now in his 11th season, Cooks has played for five different NFL teams. It's not that he hasn't been productive. In fact, quite the opposite. Cooks has 688 catches for 9,313 yards and 58 touchdowns in his career. To put that in perspective, Marques Colston had 711 receptions for 9,759 yards and 72 scores over his 10-year career. Colston is the Saints franchise leader in all three categories and played just three more games than Cooks has in his career.

Over his first 10 seasons, Cooks has six years of over 1,000 yards. He accomplished that feat with four different teams. His stay in New Orleans was short, but highly productive. As a Saint, Cooks averaged an impressive five catches and 68 yards per game.

Considering that they netted Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson out of the deal, New Orleans made the right move in trading Brandin Cooks. Still, it's easy to imagine the mind-blowing numbers this offense could have put up with Cooks teaming with Thomas and Alvin Kamara over the last few years in the career of Drew Brees.

Obviously all that is now in the past. The Saints must now make sure that they can keep their former explosive wideout from burning them when they take on the Cowboys on Sunday.