The Denver Broncos need to find a consistent speed threat at wide receiver this offseason, and Houston Texans’ stud Brandin Cooks might be the answer. If the Broncos plan on continuing to be aggressive in the offseason, they should be targeting any player that makes the team better.
When the team drafted KJ Hamler back in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the idea there was that Hamler could be the true speed guy in the offseason and help stretch the field alongside Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.
Well, because of a slew of injuries from Hamler and both Sutton and Jeudy missing time here and there, that has not materialized. KJ Hamler has hardly done anything in 2022 and has played in just 10 games between this year and last.
He’s a logical trade or cut candidate this offseason. To help solve this speed issue that the Broncos will then have, they should consider calling up the Houston Texans to see how much it would cost to land Brandin Cooks in a trade.
Cooks turns 30 at the beginning of the 2023 season, which would be his tenth year in the NFL. In those 10 years, Cooks has caught 630 passes for 8,616 yards and 49 touchdowns. He’s got six 1,000-yard receiving seasons to his name and has missed just 13 games in his nine-year career.
His career averages see him catch five passes for 65 yards per game, and his 65.4% catch rate is solid. To me, it’s baffling that someone like Brandin Cooks, who has been severely underrated for his entire career, keeps being traded like this.
He’s been traded three times in his career; from the Saints to the Patriots, from the Patriots to the Rams, and from the Rams to the Texans. He’s never spent more than three years with a single team but has put up Hall of Very Good numbers.
Since Denver appears willing to go all in with their current situation, relying on young draft picks might not be the smart idea. It might be smarter to go out and try to acquire immediate-impact players.
This holds especially true if the team can land Jim Harbaugh or Sean Payton during their head coaching search.
3 moves that will take the Broncos to the Super Bowl in 2023
The Denver Broncos' 2023 offseason is already well under way with their coaching search. What other moves do they need to make to get to the SB in 2023?
There is no time to waste, as the 2022 season effectively became a wash. It’s go time for the Denver Broncos, and they should consider sending KJ Hamler and a draft pick to the Texans for Brandin Cooks.