The New Orleans Saints bolstered their already high-octane offense by upgrading at their tight end position. The Saints agreed upon a deal that will see the veteran tight end catching passes from Drew Brees.
Technically, Cook hasn't signed the contract just yet with New Orleans, but his recent comments make it sound like he will soon. This is good news to Saints faithful and Sean Payton.
The 2018 season ended in disappointment after the Saints fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. Of course, the infamous no-call happened during the game but it wasn't the reason the team came up short.
The addition of Cook undoubtedly gives the offense a boost in 2019. Here are three bold predictions for the 10-year veteran in 2019.
3. 75+ Receptions
In 2018, Cook had a career year across the board in most statistics. He had 68 receptions for the Oakland Raiders in 2018, which is a career-high.
It was shocking to see Cook be able to haul in 68 passes for the Raiders considering the struggles for the Oakland organization. Amari Cooper was traded midway through the season, making Cook the main target in the passing game.
Derek Carr was under center for him in 2017-2018 after he was the tight end in an Aaron Rodgers-led offense in 2016. His time in Green Bay was short lived after having a disappointing season.
Now, Cook will have Brees as his quarterback and is arguably the best one he has played with. As a result, Cook will catch more than 75 passes in 2019 for New Orleans.
2. 7+ Touchdowns
The veteran tight end will be suiting up for his fifth different team in 2019. In his career, he had his career-high in touchdowns in 2018 with six.
The Saints are known to spread the ball around on the offense. In 2018, New Orleans had 13 different players catch touchdowns within the offense.
In addition, Brees had 93 pass attempts in the red zone in 2018 (fifth-most in NFL). That increases the chances of someone like Cook to be a threat to score touchdowns in the offense.
Again, Cook had six receiving touchdowns in 2018, which was a career-high. This time around, Cook will have a hall of fame quarterback in Brees throwing him the ball.
1. 1,000+ Receiving Yards
Another bold prediction for Cook and probably the boldest would be him reaching the 1,000-yard mark in 2019. If he achieved this feat, it would be the first time he surpasses 1,000 yards in his career.
The Saints lack receiving options outside of Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr., so Cook could immediately fill the third spot.
Having a talent like Thomas on your roster opens up everything for everybody in the offense. We saw the tight ends become more involved in New Orleans' offense in the latter part of the season and the playoffs.
During the regular season, tight ends accounted for four touchdowns and one touchdown by Garrett Griffin in the playoffs.
There are plenty of opportunities for everyone to be successful within a Sean Payton offense. Cook will seize the opportunity to play for a team like the Saints by reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
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