Brandin Cooks does not want to be a part of another rebuild.
The former New Orleans Saints 2014 first-round pick has at least earned the right to express his displeasure with being surrounded by losing football. Cooks has been on the Texans’ double-digit losing teams, all three of them, since 2020. The 5-10, 183-pound wideout went from competing for Super Bowls with the Los Angeles Rams to being terrible enough to brush against the No. 1 overall pick in the ensuing draft.
It isn’t like Cooks was lost in the wash either; he may have been the only good thing Houston had going. While the team struggled to win more than four games, Cooks posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons in two of his three seasons with Houston.
Cooks will be 30 years old on Sept. 25, a few games into his 10th NFL season. If the former Oregon State product is going to beat Father Time off the line for a chance to win a Super Bowl, he can’t be associated with another lost season as a franchise stumbles out of perdition.
What if the DeMeco Ryans hire changed things?
The Texans have a strong offensive line with tackles Tytus Howard, Laremy Tunsil, and guard Kenyon Green. They opened up running lanes for rookie Dameon Pierce, who tallied 939 through his first 13 games before an ankle injury summarily ended his season. Even Pierce alone is a point of optimism for the offense. All the Texans need is a quarterback, and the No. 2 overall pick will certainly go for the position. April will merely reveal whether it is Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
Ryans led the San Francisco 49ers to a first place finish in points allowed and second place finish in total defense in 2022. The year before, Ryans’ first season as defensive coordinator, saw San Francisco finish tied for ninth and sixth in those respective categories.
Houston also has 12 draft picks upcoming with six in the top-103 overall. The Texans will be adding munitions, and they will have instant firepower if they can determine how to spend their $37.1 million in salary cap space — fifth-most in the NFL — wisely.
The Texans may be on their third coach in as many seasons, but it just feels differently this time.
Cooks has the gravitas to voice his displeasure with the organization given he spent part of his prime with futile offenses. Leaving Houston would be understandable. However, it may be worth a second look as to whether the Texans are truly still in rebuilding mode with Ryans.
