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Jared Cook Bringing Explosion to New Orleans Saints Offense

After a slow start, New Orleans Saints tight end Jared Cook has been bringing explosion to the Saints, who heavily rely on Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas.
Jared Cook

Jared Cook is changing the way the New Orleans Saints play offense. Once a stud for the Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and the then St. Louis Rams, Cook has now taken his game to another level. Early in the season, Saints fans were tough on Cook, who had some bad drops and seemed to be out of sight and out of mind. But since Week 5, Cook has been on a tear, scoring eight touchdowns in the last nine games. Cook has this offense cooking at the right time, drawing comparisons to past Saints teams.

Jared Cook Bringing Explosion to Saints Offense

Owning the Seams

Jared Cook and Drew Brees have been connecting on seam right touchdowns like the days of Jimmy Graham. In fact, this is the first tight end since the Saints had Graham that has threatened the middle of the field with consistency. With Michael Thomas breaking records and owning the outside, someone needs to occupy those safeties and linebackers and Cook is doing just that.

Racking up YAC (Yards After Catch)

Jared Cook is making people miss in the open field and picking up chunk gains, averaging over 17 yards per catch in the last nine games. Whether it is down the seam, across the middle, or short dump off passes, Cook is making the most out of his catches and making defenses guard the entire field, and no keying in just Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Just take a look at Cook’s underrated speed on his 61-yard touchdown against the Titans Sunday.

https://twitter.com/SportsDGI/status/1208831172622483457

But speed is not the only thing Cook has showcased this season. He has also shown the willingness to put his head down and fight for extra yards down the field, proving he is just as physical as he is a finesse player.

https://twitter.com/daSportsTech/status/1208529026333044736

Making the Tough Catch

There is a reason Drew Brees is the most accurate quarterback in NFL history. He places the ball where only his man has a chance at the ball, and in the case of Jared Cook, Brees puts the ball in a prime position to come down with it. One perfect example of this is when Brees threw a jump ball to Cook against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a month a month ago. Brees puts it towards the back of the endzone and Cook goes up, and snatches it down. It shows how much trust has been built between Brees and Cook this season.

Earlier in the season, Cooks made a similar touchdown catch when Teddy Bridgewater at the helm. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cook was able to get past his defender, and the ball was a tad high but once again Cook times his jump well and high points the ball, and makes another difficult catch for a touchdown.

Last Word on Jared Cook

The Saints offense has put up 30 or more points in five of the last six games and Jared Cook is a big reason why. With him threatening defenses down the seam lately, the Saints have opened up a dimension of their offense that hasn’t been nearly effective since the departure of Jimmy Graham. The Saints offense will continue to thrive in the passing game should Cook’s hot streak continue.

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Devin Jackson

Devin Jackson

My name is Devin Jackson, and I will be writing about my favorite NFL team, the New Orleans Saints. I am an aspiring sports reporter and look to use LWOS as a platform to practice and grow my connections. Do not hesitate to contact me via Twitter, @RealD_Jackson.

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