4 potential wide receiver trade targets for Commanders

3. Brandin Cooks

Is there a player in the NFL who has been traded more than Brandin Cooks? As a former first-round pick in 2014, Cooks has now played for four different teams despite being a consistent source of production everywhere he goes.

After three seasons with the Saints, the team that drafted him, Cooks was dealt to the Patriots. After racking up a cool 1,082 receiving yards in New England, he was jettisoned to the Rams, with who he starred during their Super Bowl run in 2018. After two years in LA, Cooks was traded again, this time to Houston.

Cooks hasn’t done much winning with the Texans, but he’s been one of a few bright spots for a franchise that’s been engulfed by Deshaun Watson’s lawsuits. In two seasons, he’s played in 31 of a possible 33 games while posting 171 catches for 2,187 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 67.6% catch rate.

Despite never making a Pro Bowl in his career, Cooks has the seventh-most receiving yards in the league since he was drafted. Only Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans, Travis Kelce, Antonio Brown and Davante Adams have more.

That’s elite company right there. While Cooks doesn’t offer the desired size (5-foot-10) of a prototypical No. 2 wideout, he’s produced more than 1,000 yards in six of his eight seasons in the NFL, so that narrative is futile.

If the Commanders have any reservations about Curtis Samuel assuming the WR2 role after his injury-marred 2021, they should call up the Texans, who are usually happy to make trades, and see if his expiring contract is for sale.