Count ESPN’s Bill Barnwell as a national pundit who critically pans the Houston Texans’ trade for Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks.
Barnwell gave the Texans a D-plus grade for sending their 2020 second-round pick (57th overall) to the NFC West club for the former 2014 first-round pick and the Rams’ 2022 fourth-round selection. Like every decision made to improve the Texans’ passing game since March 16, it is intertwined with the DeAndre Hopkins trade to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Texans giving up a second-round pick to acquire a wide receiver in this market doesn’t make much sense. It’s even worse when you consider just how much they need to invest on the defensive side of the ball, how much is coming due to Watson and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, and what precious little draft capital they have left. There aren’t going to be any cheap, talented players on this roster two years from now, which is the exact problem the Rams faced this offseason. Getting a fourth-rounder back in 2022 isn’t going to solve that problem.
Barnwell also points out that the Texans parted ways with Hopkins because the three-time All-Pro reportedly wanted $18 million and $20 million annually as part of a restructuring of his contract with three years remaining. However, the Texans will be paying Cooks and free agent Randall Cobb $38.7 million over the next two seasons, which averages out to $19.4 million. Why not have one receiver who can fulfill both roles instead of two players who both missed games in 2019?
The trades can’t properly be evaluated until actual football is played later in the year. Until then, coach and general manager Bill O’Brien’s wheeling and dealing is going to be subject to massive scrutiny because he did trade one of the best receivers in the NFL in Hopkins. However, the criticism will subside if O’Brien’s reconstruction of the receiving corps helps Deshaun Watson became one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
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