Brandin Cooks was drafted in 2014 by the New Orleans Saints and at this point, Cooks is a veteran journeyman of the NFL. He’s play for the Saints, the New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Rams, the Houston Texans, the Dallas Cowboys, the Buffalo Bills (any teams I missed?), and he’s now signing to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.
For Cooks and the Rams, it was a fairly successful stint. Heck, had he and the Rams won the Super Bowl in the 2018 season, Cooks may have been the MVP with over 100
receiving yards. Had Jared Goff and Cooks connected on a touchdown, who knows? Maybe Cooks spends more time with the Rams than he did. Maybe Goff does too.
But the past can’t be changed, and instead, the Rams didn’t win that Super Bowl, Cooks seemed to get hurt often, and though Cooks was a solid Ram, he’s not likely to go down as an all-time great Ram.
That being said. Cooks has put together a solid if not great NFL career in terms of production, longevity and as far I am aware he’s a drama free type player. There’s a lot to like about Cooks, and the 49ers are giving him a chance to compete in 2026.
With the way the 49ers are looking right now who’s to say, maybe Cooks finds himself in another Super Bowl. We’ll see.
Source: Niners signing veteran receiver Cooks to practice squad (espn.com)
“Free agent wide receiver Brandin Cooks is signing with the San Francisco 49ers‘ practice squad, initially to get up to speed for games, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday.
Cooks, 32, joins a Niners team that has lost wideouts Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson to injury this season. Meanwhile, veteran wide receiver Mike Evans will need to be managed this week with a hip injury.
Cooks was the 20th pick in the 2014 draft by the Saints out of Oregon State, and he spent the first three years of his career with New Orleans. He returned to the Saints in 2025 but was waived in November after he requested his release. Cooks then joined the Buffalo Bills for the remainder of the campaign”
No QB has more games with 4-plus TD passes than Matthew Stafford since 2021 (ramswire)
“On Monday night, the NFL’s reigning MVP, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, was simply sensational, getting back to basics in his four-touchdown performance. Slicing and dicing the New York Giants‘ defense, Stafford found Terrance Ferguson, Kyren Williams, and Davante Adams twice for his passing scores that led to a 28-6 win.
According to Pro Football Focus, Stafford’s performance was his 10th game with at least four passing touchdowns since 2021, which is tied with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for the most within that timeframe. Of course, 2021 was his first year with the Rams.“
Rams WR Davante Adams Raises Fascinating Matthew Stafford-Sean McVay What-if (sports.yahoo)
“During an appearance Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Adams wondered what it could have been like if Stafford and McVay had been together much longer on the same team.
“If Matthew Stafford was here with Sean McVay for his whole career, they would be saying, ‘ Is this guy literally the best QB that’s ever played,” Adams said.“
Poona Ford and Aaron Donald are Rams’ perfect pairing up front (ramblinfan)
“With Donald back in the rotation, Ford’s value to the defense has skyrocketed along with that of Kobie Turner and even Braden Fiske. While Donald commands offensive lines’ attention, LA finally has defenders who can make them pay for leaving them one-on-one. Ford is among them.
Double teams smothered LA’s short nose tackle was smothered in the season opener. Conversely, when Ford lined up alongside Donald in Week 2, he was the one doing the smothering. While his 5-foot-11 frame may look like a liability, it affords him tremendous power and an unnaturally strong center of gravity. That was all on displayagainst the Giants on Monday Night Football.“
Rams vs. Broncos Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Week 3 (si.com)
“The Broncos and Nix rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, and Stafford and Co. looked elite on offense in a win over the New York Giants on Monday night. L.A. didn’t have Puka Nacua (hip) or Myles Garret (knee) in that game, and Garrett remains on injured reserve and will miss this primetime matchup.
Los Angeles is the favorite to win the Super Bowl this season, and both of these teams were in their respective conference championship games in the 2025 campaign. So, this should be a good litmus test for both franchises as they look to see how they stack up against the best teams in the NFL.“
Here’s how much Rams-Broncos Sunday Night Football tickets are going for (9news)
“The L.A. Rams, led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, are coming to the Mile High to take on Bo Nix and the Broncos Sunday night. Tickets for the game are kind of affordable. The lowest price we found was on the NFL Ticket Exchange through Ticketmaster, where a pair of tickets will run you $376 after fees. On SeatGeek, the cheapest pair was going for $410, and on StubHubthe lowest pair of seats is at $392.“
Rams PFF grades: Best and worst performers in win vs. Giants (ramswire)
“The Rams made their 28-6 win over the Giants look easy, dominating on each side of the ball throughout the night. New York only had 182 total yards on offense, which is 13 fewer than Davante Adams had himself. Jameis Winston completed just 11 of his 27 passes after replacing the injured Jaxson Dart, largely because the Rams were in the pockets of New York’s receivers all night.
Pro Football Focus handed out grades for every Rams player who took the field, and we sorted them by the best and worst performers (min. 10 snaps).“
“The monster has returned,” Stephen A. Smith marvels at Rams’ bounce-back (sports.yahoo)
““We witnessed the Los Angeles Rams,” Smith said on ‘The Stephen A. Smith Show’. ” What transpired against the 49ers in Melbourne, Australia, was not indicative of the kind of season that they intend to have that they still have the reigning league MVP and quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“A sensational wide receiver tandem and Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Even though Puka didn’t play last night, but Davante Adams did and played stellar. And Williams and Corum know how to do what the hell they do. A defense that’s going to need to be reckoned with because Aaron Donald, the monster has returned, and when he’s around something just elevates defensively. It is who they are.”
Trent McDuffie leads NFL with 0.0 passer rating allowed this season (ramswire)
“Los Angeles Rams defensive back Trent McDuffie has been at his best since making his team debut two weeks ago, and with an interception in hand following Monday night’s victory over the New York Giants, the future could not be brighter for the young superstar.
McDuffie’s ability to eliminate top receivers from the opposing game plan gives the Rams a massive advantage over the opposition. What makes McDuffie special is that he’s doing it at a league-best level. According to Pro Football Focus, McDuffie is tied with Las Vegas Raiders defender Hezekiah Masses for the lowest passer rating allowed (0.0) among cornerbacks so far this season.“
First Look: Rams head to Denver for Sunday Night Football clash with Broncos in Week 3 (therams.com)
“Primetime awaits the Rams once again, who hit the road in Week 3 for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the Broncos. Kickoff from Empower Field at Mile High is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. pacific time on NBC.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Broncos.
Notable Broncos additions
Selected former University of Washington running back Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of this year’s draft: Coleman is a name to pay attention to in the Broncos backfield after his workload increased in wake of R.J. Harvey being ruled out for last week’s game against the Jaguars due to a hamstring injury.
Acquired wide receiver Jaylen Waddle in a trade with the Dolphins on March 18: The No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Waddle’s arrival brought speed to Denver’s passing game.“
Comment of the Day:
“Parkinson, Higbee, and Allen are all free agents after this season. Parkinson might be cost prohibitive based on all the guys they need to re-sign. Higbee is probably retiring. Allen probably would be affordable.
If you run 12 and 13 personnel often drafting Klare gives him one year in the system heading into 2027 when potentially only him and Ferguson are the returning TEs.“ -holtfan
