Tag: Jared Cook

Chargers signing former Saints tight end Jared Cook

The Los Angeles Chargers will sign former New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook, a 2021 salary cap cut with a frustrating history.

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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Los Angeles Chargers will sign former New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook to a contract worth $6 million; his colleague Jeremy Fowler added that $4.5 million of the one-year deal is guaranteed.

So it means that Joe Lombardi is bringing one of his pass catchers with him to L.A. Lombardi, the former Saints quarterbacks coach, was hired earlier this offseason as the new Chargers offensive coordinator under first-year head coach Brandon Staley. That means his mission is to build the offense around promising young quarterback Justin Herbert; and with longtime Chargers tight end Hunter Henry off to New England, there was room for a veteran on top of the depth chart.

Cook had a frustrating two-year run in New Orleans, averaging just 2.8 receptions and 41.7 receiving yards per game, though he did post career-highs of 15.1 yards per reception and 16 total touchdown catches along the way. But drops (6) and fumbles (11) were an issue for him with the Saints, and it ultimately spelled the end of his tenure.

Because the Saints released Cook from his contract, he will not factor into the compensatory draft pick formula for 2022. Their other co-starter at tight end, Josh Hill, quickly signed with his former Saints position coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions, so the Saints are left with a bare cupboard at tight end between second-year pro Adam Trautman and a couple of practice squad holdovers in Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf.

Chargers signing former Saints tight end Jared Cook

The Los Angeles Chargers will sign former New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook, a 2021 salary cap cut with a frustrating history.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Los Angeles Chargers will sign former New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook to a contract worth $6 million; his colleague Jeremy Fowler added that $4.5 million of the one-year deal is guaranteed.

So it means that Joe Lombardi is bringing one of his pass catchers with him to L.A. Lombardi, the former Saints quarterbacks coach, was hired earlier this offseason as the new Chargers offensive coordinator under first-year head coach Brandon Staley. That means his mission is to build the offense around promising young quarterback Justin Herbert; and with longtime Chargers tight end Hunter Henry off to New England, there was room for a veteran on top of the depth chart.

Cook had a frustrating two-year run in New Orleans, averaging just 2.8 receptions and 41.7 receiving yards per game, though he did post career-highs of 15.1 yards per reception and 16 total touchdown catches along the way. But drops (6) and fumbles (11) were an issue for him with the Saints, and it ultimately spelled the end of his tenure.

Because the Saints released Cook from his contract, he will not factor into the compensatory draft pick formula for 2022. Their other co-starter at tight end, Josh Hill, quickly signed with his former Saints position coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions, so the Saints are left with a bare cupboard at tight end between second-year pro Adam Trautman and a couple of practice squad holdovers in Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf.

2021 NFL free agency: 10 remaining players for Bills to sign

As NFL free agency officially opens, here are 10 players for the Buffalo Bills to still sign.

It might seem like the NFL’s free agency market was already open all week, but it wasn’t. Now it offiically is.

At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the new “league year” begins. All prior reported signings or trade actually had not happened… they were just “agreed” to. Now all those can go through.

However, even though this deadline has been passed, that doesn’t mean the Bills can’t still continue adding players. The free agency market is still stockpiled with talent for the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane to look at adding.

With that, here are some free agents who have yet to agree to any terms with teams that could interest Buffalo:

Fantasy football free agency roundup

NFL free agency will drastically help reshape the fantasy football landscape as the new league year begins.

Now that NFL free agency is upon us, here is where we’ll run through the fantasy football outlooks for trades, re-signings, midrange players, and tag recipients.

This analysis will be updated as players sign/re-sign in free agency, so be sure to check back regularly.

Signed with new team or traded

RB Mark Ingram, Houston Texans: The 31-year-old inked a one-year, $2.5 million deal in Houston to pair with fellow well-aged runner David Johnson. The duo will create a one-two punch, so long as what we saw from Baltimore making Ingram a healthy scratch late last year wasn’t foreshadowing. Some of that was due to him not playing special teams and the team wanting to get a closer look at rookie J.K. Dobbins. Presuming quarterback Deshaun Watson returns, Ingram still has a dicey outlook. The Texans’ porous defense has so many needs that it’s tough to see the offense being able to consistently run the ball if the other side cannot contain opposing offenses. Ingram needs bulk to make a mark in fantasy lineups, which rarely will be the case, unless he finds regular success around the goal line, consider the veteran merely roster depth or a handcuff to Johnson.

Re-signed/extensions

QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: There’s no surprise associated with the four-year, $160 million extension Prescott signed prior to free agency opening. He wasn’t ever going to be allowed to leave the building, as evidenced by a formality of being tagged again. As long as his ankle rehab goes according to plan, this potential No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback has the tools to pick up where he left off.

QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers:While it’s technically an extension, Big Ben’s deal was reworked to provide cap relief for the Steelers and keep him in a black-and-yellow uni for one last go of it. Roethlisberger will almost assuredly be without WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, but there’s still enough to like about the situation for Roethlisberger to be in the conversation of a low-tier rotational starter.

QB Cam Newton, New England Patriots: The knee-jerk reaction is to scoff at Newton getting a one-year, $14 million deal to re-sign with the Pats. A closer look should elicit a more measured response. Last year, just about everything worked against Cam finding success. He signed late (June 28), there was no offseason program, the offensive system is intricate, New England lost several key players to the opt-out, the offensive line had to shuffle talent several times, no receivers to speak of, zero tight ends of consequence, an erratic rushing attack, and Newton was returning from foot surgery prior to joining New England. Excuses, you may say … perhaps, but all of those factors are undeniable reality. Newton is finally healthy after three straight offseasons of rehabbing from surgery. Wait to see how the Patriots address wide receiver and tight end concerns, but it’s unwise to entirely dismiss a rebound by Newton.

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QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington Football Team: The former Panther parlayed an admirable playoff start into a two-year extension in Washington. He knows the system and the brain trust’s nucleus from his time in Carolina. Alex Smith’s release opens the door for Heinicke to compete for a starting job while having the upper hand against a newcomer who won’t be as familiar with the playbook. It’s unlikely, however, Heinicke is the season-long starter for this offense as an incoming rookie or free-agent acquisition will have that momentum on his side.

Franchise/transition tagged

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: No one paying attention expected the Buccaneers to allow Godwin to walk into free agency. Look for a stronger showing in 2021 after an injury-pocked season a year ago derailed Godwin’s campaign from nearly the onset. He’s a legit WR2 in all settings, but his upside is capped at that position overall with the bevy of talent around him in the passing game.

WR Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears: It seemed for quite some time that Chicago wouldn’t have the cap space to tag Robinson, but he was indeed slapped with the tender of $17-plus million for 2021. While he would like a long-term deal, and the team may still yet find a way to meet his demands by July 15, there also remains a chance this could get ugly. Robinson doesn’t want to play on the tag, nor must he sign the tender. He then wouldn’t play or get paid, so there’s that, and $17.89 mill is nothing to sneeze at during an offseason in which the salary cap actually goes down. At 27, Robinson could put his John Hancock on the offer sheet and still hit free agency in 2022 young enough to get one last shot at a huge deal when teams will have more money to throw around. Long story short, he mostly is quarterback-proof, but Chicago still needs to put a better product on the field. Whether it is Nick Foles or someone else under center in 2021, A-Rob is a viable PPR WR1 with a hint of downside.

Remains unsigned

  • Quarterbacks: Alex Smith, Mitchell Trubisky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett
  • Running backs: Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, Tevin Coleman, James White, Matt Breida, Brian Hill, Leonard Fournette, Malcolm Brown, Jerick McKinnon, Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell, Kalen Ballage, James Conner, Marlon Mack, Wayne Gallman, Jamaal Williams, Mike Davis
  • Wide receivers: A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton, Emmanuel Sanders, Larry Fitzgerald, Golden Tate, DeSean Jackson, Adam Humphries, Sammy Watkins, Marvin Jones, John Brown, Breshad Perriman, Corey Davis, Willie Snead, John Ross, Keelan Cole, Kendrick Bourne, Will Fuller, Demarcus Robinson, Antonio Brown, Curtis Samuel, Damiere Byrd, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Nelson Agholor, Rashard Higgins, David Moore, Kenny Golladay
  • Tight ends: Hunter Henry, Rob Gronkowski, Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook, Tyler Eifert, Gerald Everett, Jordan Reed, Jonnu Smith, Trey Burton

Consistency Rankings – Tight Ends

Fantasy Football consistency rankings for tight ends

Below is each tight end that played at least eight games and scored at least ten fantasy points in at least 20% of their games. The fantasy scoring used was 1 point per  10 yards rushed or received and with six-point touchdowns and one point per reception.

HOW OFTEN TE SCORED AT LEAST 10 FANTASY POINTS

Tight ends are notoriously bad at scoring fantasy points relative to the other positions and last year only Travis Kelce and Darren Waller made any significant difference on fantasy rosters. About a dozen that produced at least ten fantasy points in half or more of their games.

George Kittle and Zack Ertz were top players in 2019 but suffered through injury and offensive problems. Austin Hooper was one of the most consistent tight ends (77%) in 2019 but changed teams and dropped significantly.

The surprises from last season were Logan Thomas (63%) and Robert Tonyan (60%) who were both Top-5 for consistency and yet had never done much in their previous careers. The Top-5 tight ends are all that matter in fantasy but one or two usually surprise each season.

BEST IN CATEGORY

The position did not fare as well as it had in 2019. There were only two tight ends with more than three 75-yard games for 2020 and yet seven players with four or more the previous year. There were a few tight ends that excelled at scoring – like Robert Tonyan – but fewer turning in high yardage. Again – there are so few tight ends that make any difference in fantasy but at least a couple that surprise.

BEST over last three years

Hunter Henry did well ignoring his lost 2018 season, but he’s never played all 16 games in any season so his consistency gets an asterisk.  Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller have run away with the value in the position. Zach Ertz spent several seasons in the top grouping but looked like he was heading downhill and gaining speed last year.

Notable too is that the scoring is much less in the position with just 10 points considered as a “good” game. Kelce, Kittle, and Waller have been both consistent and highly productive, so they’ll deservedly remain as the top drafted in the position again this year.

It’s all on Adam Trautman to lead the Saints tight ends in 2021

New Orleans Saints tight end Adam Trautman has big shoes to fill after Jared Cook and Josh Hill were released as salary cap casualties.

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It was widely expected to see the New Orleans Saints move on from Jared Cook after his frustrating two years in black and gold, but the decision to cut Josh Hill as a salary cap casualty was surprising. It left the Saints with just three tight ends under contract for 2021: practice squad holdovers Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf, and second-year pro Adam Trautman. Trautman, a third round draft pick in 2020, is now on top of the depth chart. Taysom Hill shouldn’t be overlooked, but he lined up as an inline tight end just 46 times last season per Pro Football Focus.

Trautman led the group in total snaps played last season, with 547 (393 on offense, 154 on special teams). Hill finished second, having missed time with an injury, with 478 (359 on offense, 119 on special teams), while all 466 of Cook’s snaps were on offense. So the rookie had plenty of opportunities to learn on the job.

While he didn’t see much NFL-quality competition at Dayton, his college receiving stats are eye-popping: 178 receptions for 2,295 receiving yards with 31 touchdown catches. He made the most of his 6-foot-5, 255-pound frame and short-area speed (timing a 1.65-second 10-yard split and 6.78-second time in the three-cone drill) to bully lesser athletes. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill noted that he excelled on crossing and out routes, as well as hitches, with encouraging results on seam routes further downfield.

What’s impressive is how much he was able to do as a blocker in his rookie year. Trautman was a big help in the run game especially later in the season, which was unexpected given he was marketed as more of a receiver than a blocker on college scouting reports. His early aptitude on the ground suggests he can continue to be an asset there while taking on more responsibilities in the passing game.

So will the Trautman experiment work out? There’s plenty of reasons to think he’ll step up and succeed, but let’s temper those expectations a bit. He finished ninth on the team in targets (16), totaling 15 receptions for 171 receiving yards and just one touchdown catch. Asking him to triple those numbers would be a tall task, but that’s what it would take for him to approach 500 receiving yards. And don’t underestimate the loss of his position coach Dan Campbell, who’s now head coach of the Detroit Lions.

If the Saints are going to remain competitive in the post-Drew Brees (and post-Josh Hill and -Jared Cook) era, it’ll take young players on salary cap-friendly contracts like Trautman meeting, if not beating, expectations. He’s on the fast track to doing just that; let’s see if he can pull it off.

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Panthers potential 2021 free agent targets: TE Jared Cook

If they’re interested in a more experienced tight end it won’t get any better than Cook.

Today the Saints cut tight ends Jared Cook and Josh Hill, making a small dent in their considerable salary cap problem. (They’re still over $60 million in the red). In Cook’s case it was a procedural move as he was set to become a free agent in a couple weeks, anyway.

The Panthers could use some more firepower at this position. We’ve already looked at a couple of younger options like Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. If they’re interested in a more experienced tight end it won’t get any better than Cook. Here’s why it might work.

Pros

Only a handful of tight ends around the NFL have been more productive the last several years than Cook. Since 2018, Pro Football Focus has him graded out as the sixth-best player at the position. That year with the Raiders he had a rare late-career breakout season, totaling 896 yards and six scores. After joining New Orleans in 2019, Cook posted another 80 catches, 1,209 yards and 16 touchdowns. Cook is also the only free agent tight end who would bring familiarity with the offensive scheme Joe Brady is running in Carolina. At this point in his career, signing him likely wouldn’t cost too much, either.

Cons

The obvious downside with Cook is his age. He will turn 34 years old next month and has been in the league since 2009, when the Titans drafted him in the third round. Since then he’s appeared in 178 regular season games. That’s a lot of mileage for any athlete, especially one with Cook’s size (6-foot-5, 254 pounds). Even if he’s a huge upgrade over Ian Thomas and Chris Manhertz as a receiver, he’s not really a long-term answer to this question.

Conclusion

Cook has always been the one veteran tight end we thought made the most sense for the Panthers to sign this year. Obviously, acquiring a guy like Henry or Smith would help more, but they can’t really afford to splurge at this spot given all their other roster needs. Assuming that his asking price is reasonable enough, Cook should fit like a glove.

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Saints release tight ends Jared Cook and Josh Hill

The New Orleans Saints released veteran tight end Jared Cook, which was expected, and cut his co-starter Josh Hill, which was a surprise.

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The New Orleans Saints released veteran tight ends Jared Cook and Josh Hill per Wednesday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire. Cook’s release was expected, given his big $8 million roster bonus was due in a few weeks, which the Saints were not going to pay after his subpar 2020 campaign. The decision to cut Hill is more surprising, though New Orleans could use the $2.5 million in salary cap savings it brings.

Hill was one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, having appeared in 117 regular season games since 2013. He and Cook were co-starters the last two years, playing frequently together while 2020 rookie Adam Trautman learned the ropes behind them. Hill logged 1,008 snaps on offense over the last two seasons, whereas Cook was in on 968 plays. While Cook was a receiver first and foremost, Hill has been one of Sean Payton’s most highly-valued blockers for almost a decade.

That puts a lot of pressure on Trautman to make a leap in his second NFL season. The only other tight ends on the roster right now are practice squad holdovers Garrett Griffin and Ethan Wolf; the Saints previously released backups Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan, both of whom opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.

Maybe Hill returns at a lower rate, but you’d think he would have agreed to a pay cut if that were possible. But Cook’s frustrating drops and turnovers spelled the end of his time in New Orleans. Now, it’s all up to Trautman, “the Big Fish” himself.

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Could the Cardinals be in the market for top TEs in free agency?

We look at the top five tight ends on the market and whether the Cardinals are a fit.

The Arizona Cardinals will most certainly add at least one tight end to the roster in free agency. After all, the only players currently on the roster at the position are Maxx Williams and Ian Bunting. Bunting has never played an NFL game before.

While they might seek to bring back Dan Arnold or Darrell Daniels, they could look to free agency and there are some very good tight ends who will hit the market next month.

The top five are all intriguing options, but what interest could the Cardinals have in them?

Let’s break down each player and their fit on the Cardinals’ roster.


B/R suggests TE Bills should target in free agency

Buffalo Bills should target TE Jared Cook in free agency says Bleacher Report.

The tight end position is a lightning rod for attention for the Buffalo Bills. In an offense that did nothing but impress in 2020, the tight position group did anything but.

Second-year pro Dawson Knox never hit his stride. Behind him, the Bills have little playmaking talent. Additionally, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane already said that tight end production can stand to improve this offseason.

If the Bills do decide to find an upgrade, Bleacher Report suggests one name to get there: Jared Cook.

In tabbing the best destination for the 33-year-old, B/R says the Bills are his “best fit.” Here’s why:

Best fit: Buffalo Bills. The cap-strapped New Orleans Saints might not be able to afford to keep him around, while the Bills are a contender who could take advantage of his experience right away in a platoon role with young incumbent Dawson Knox.

Bringing Cook into the fold with Knox is a concept the Bills have actually already tried to pull off. Last offseason, Buffalo was connected to then-free agent Greg Olsen who opted to sign with the Seattle Seahawks instead.

From there, the Bills decided to roll out Knox at tight end and he had a bump in the road. His production dropped as he only caught 24 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games played this year. Knox might be better suited in a No. 2 role, or at least with less pressure on him until he develops more. Enter Cook?

In 2020 alone, Cook put up comparable numbers to the ones Knox has in his two-year career. Cook hauled in 37 catches for 504 yards with seven touchdowns. In the past, Cook has pushed upwards of 900 receiving yards and he’s probably not going to do such a thing in a role with the Bills. He also isn’t exactly a highly-touted blocker.

Still, the veteran could be a short-term solution at the position to pair with Knox.

In regard to the rest of Buffalo’s tight ends, Tyler Kroft is a free agent while Lee Smith has already suggested he might retire this offseason. There would easily be room for Cook in Buffalo.

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