Rams fans are clamoring for the team to trade for a pass rusher or offensive lineman, but the front office is looking at another position: wide receiver. And one player the Rams might be eyeing is Brandin Cooks, who played in Los Angeles from 2018-2019 before getting traded to the Texans.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Rams are among the teams that have inquired about Cooks, who could be traded before the Nov. 1 deadline. The Packers and Chiefs are two other teams that have called about the speedy receiver.
That isn’t from lack of interest, though. Cooks has been the subject of multiple trade inquiries, including the Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and the Rams. Nothing has advanced into anything that could be characterized as developing at this time heading into next Tuesday’s deadline.
Cooks was productive for the Rams in 2018 after they traded a first-rounder for him in a deal with the Patriots, catching 80 passes for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns. However, he dealt with concussions in 2019 and caught just 42 passes for 583 yards in 14 games in what was a down year overall for the Rams offense.
The Rams could use a speedy receiver like Cooks and he really did stretch the field when he was in Los Angeles, being a player who runs a 4.33 40-yard dash. He has two years left on his contract after this season, with massive cap hits of $26.6 million in 2023 and $24.6 million in 2024. Getting out of that contract would be difficult, too.
With Van Jefferson back, the Rams’ need for a deep threat has lessened, but it’s still something they’re monitoring.