Rams trade Cooks to Texans for 2nd-round pick

Weeks after dealing star receiver DeAndre Hopkins, the Houston Texans traded for Los Angeles Rams wideout Brandin Cooks.

The Texans gave up a second-round pick - No. 57 overall - in the upcoming draft in exchange for Cooks and a 2022 fourth-rounder, the Rams announced Friday.

This is the third time Cooks has been traded in the last four years. He starred for the New Orleans Saints for three seasons before they dealt him to the New England Patriots ahead of a 2017 campaign that ended in a Super Bowl loss for the latter. The Patriots then flipped him to the Los Angeles Rams, who wound up losing to New England in Super Bowl LIII.

Cooks joins fellow deep threats Will Fuller and Kenny Stills, along with slot receiver Randall Cobb. Together with running backs David Johnson and Duke Johnson, they'll surround quarterback Deshaun Watson as the Texans look to defend their AFC South crown.

But Cooks does come with concerns. The 26-year-old has suffered four concussions since 2018 and his numbers dropped off dramatically in 2019. After posting 80 catches for 1,204 yards and five touchdowns in 2018, he caught 42 passes for 583 yards and two scores last season.

He also has four years remaining on a five-year, $80-million extension he signed with Los Angeles in 2018.

The Texans are currently set to enter the draft on April 23 without a first-round pick after trading theirs to the Miami Dolphins in the Laremy Tunsil deal. They did, however, add a second-round selection (40th overall) in the Hopkins-David Johnson swap with Arizona, and they also own one pick each in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds.

The cash-strapped Rams, meanwhile, continue to shed talent after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In addition to reportedly dishing Cooks, they've released running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Clay Matthews. The team also lost safety Eric Weddle to retirement.