The New Orleans Saints are 65 days away from the first game of the year against the Arizona Cardinals. We continue our countdown to kickoff with Brandin Cooks making his second appearance on the list.
Cooks scored a 65-yard touchdown against the Cardinals in 2016. It was the first of two touchdowns he would score on the day. He came back and hit the Cardinals with a 45-yard score a little later in the game. He'll be looking for that same magic in his first game back with New Orleans, ironically against the same team.
All Cooks had to do was give the safety a slight fake to get his hips turned then the receiver bent inside. There was no making up ground against Cooks, especially at that point in his career. He easily strolled into the end zone to complete our play of the day.
Brandin Cooks saw the most explosive season of his career in his last year with the Saints
Cooks is best known for his speed. That hasn't changed throughout his career. He doesn't have the tallest or biggest frame, so he often had to rely on his speed. This trait made him a first round pick out of Oregon State, and it was best shown during his last year with the Saints.
In 2016, Cooks had four touchdowns of more than 40 yards. Two of those scores came against the Cardinals in Week 15. Cooks remained an explosive player, but he never reached that total again. To show how impressive that was. Cooks had just four touchdowns of more than 40 yards in the first two seasons of his career and seven trips to the end zone from distance in the eight years since 2016.
Cooks' third and final season in New Orleans also featured his two longest receptions of his career. His 98-yard score in the season opener is still the longest play from scrimmage in franchise history. There's a good chance that record is never beaten.
Just a couple of weeks later, Cooks scores from 87 yards out against the Carolina Panthers. His final two touchdowns of the season, and Saints career at the moment, were both longer than 40 yards.