The reports that the Rams tried to trade with New Orleans to get Cooks says a lot about him and McVay. New England outbid them and he had another successful year. The Rams then traded for Watkins. Watkins in his show me year was inconsistent, but a talent who was going to get paid. How hard the Rams actually tried to resign him, Idk. They chose to tag Joiner, that says a lot about Watkins and their real efforts to retain him. Joiner is rated highly as a safety, but he is a saftety. McVay and the Rams said all of the right things about wanting Watkins back, why not. But what we haven’t heard is how much they offered him (real effort to resign him). So he signs with Kansas City and because of the amount and duration of the contract the RAMS should receive a 3rd round compensatory pick. I suspect they would have signed him if he was willing to take much less. If they trashed him or said nothing about Watkins that would have upset fans and players, it would have reflected poorly on the organization. The positive talk about Watkins certainly had some influence on how much he got as a free agent (compared to trashing him or ignoring him) and that helps the Rams get more compensation for his loss. Now they have Cooks the player they tried to trade for last year, and a 3rd round pick as compensation for Watkins loss. In the trade they get a 4th this year and Cook, but give up their 1st and a 6 round pick. They also traded away a 2nd round pick for Watkins year. In retrospect getting Cooks last year with their first two picks, but getting back a 4th and a 3rd would have put them in the same place they are now. Cooks would have had an extra year with this offense. Cooks is not the red zone threat Watkins is, but Cooks’ consistency, annual production and versatility outshines Watkins (potential). McVay likes his receivers to run crisp routes, be consistent and versatile. CHECK, CHECK, CHECK. Can’t wait to see what he adds to this offense.
