When the Patriots acquired Brandin Cooks last offseason, it wasn't difficult to see the reasoning behind the move. The Patriots may have been great on offense in 2016 (fourth in yards, third in points on the way to winning a Super Bowl) but there was something missing at times. The issue didn't show up during most weeks, but it did against good tackling teams and good defenses in general: New England wasn't as explosive as it had been.
As I wrote before the season:
The No. 1 reason why the Patriots acquired Cooks — and this opinion was shared by two observers that know the system intimately — was to diversify their ability to get chunk plays (runs over 10 yards, passes more than 25). Despite being largely terrific on offense last season, the Patriots ranked “only” 12th with a big-play percentage of 8.05. Most of the Patriots’ chunk plays are either due to yards after the catch, or Rob Gronkowski (when he’s on the field) wreaking havoc. And when the Patriots encountered good-tackling teams without Gronkowski (Texans, Falcons) in the postseason, New England showed some mortality. Certainly, Chris Hogan showed some ability to make big plays last season, but he’s not Cooks. His addition gives the Patriots another way to get yards in a hurry.
- Will the big-play dynamic change now that the threat of Cooks is no longer there (will teams play the same if Dorsett is out there) or will the Patriots go back to their previous, muted passing game?
- Should the Patriots have tried for another level with Cooks in '18, or are they better off putting those assets into another, more needy part of the team (defense)?