Packers sign TE Jared Cook

[Deleted member 6794]

Not being able to resign everyone doesn't make it a cap issue. That's simply how it goes in the NFL.

It's true that teams can't re-sign all of their free agents because of the salary cap. If you have to let core players walk away because of limited cap space it's an issue though. Unfortunately that's where the Packers are headed towards in 2017.

 

[tynimiller]

I will say this though, as it is apparent it is our OG's which will be most likely on the chopping block. If I had to choose 2 OL positions to replace in one year it would be those. Give me the tackles and the center as constants...sucks all around but best case scenario if one must IMO.

 

[Vrill]

It's true that teams can't re-sign all of their free agents because of the salary cap. If you have to let core players walk away because of limited cap space it's an issue though. Unfortunately that's where the Packers are headed towards in 2017.

All of those players that are FA's next off season got similar years on their deals. Its why its a good idea to stagger out contracts at times and not have several hit you all at once in a single off season.

 

[Poppa San]

If contracts average about 5 years, just my WAG, every season 5 starters and another half dozen players have expiring contracts. Next season is about average in that regard. We've avoided that with the poor drafts of '11 & '12.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

If contracts average about 5 years, just my WAG, every season 5 starters and another half dozen players have expiring contracts. Next season is about average in that regard. We've avoided that with the poor drafts of '11 & '12.

Currently the Packers have 19 players projected to make the 53-man roster becoming free agents after next season. That number is on par with last season but significantly higher than from 2010-14. That might be a reason for the Packers heading towards salary cap issues.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/pack...-on-contract-years-b99697221z1-374072331.html

 

[Sunshinepacker]

I will say this though, as it is apparent it is our OG's which will be most likely on the chopping block. If I had to choose 2 OL positions to replace in one year it would be those. Give me the tackles and the center as constants...sucks all around but best case scenario if one must IMO.

Normally I would agree but when the choice is between a top-10 guard and an average tackle the choice becomes more complex. Today's NFL has a lot more great interior pass rushers than 15 years ago when guards were easily replaceable.

 

[tynimiller]

Trust me I am not saying they are easily replaced...however I do feel guard hits are easier to handle than losing outside or captain of OL (center) in the same year.

I would say Bakh is above average...not elite by any means but I do think he is definitely on the upswing still.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Normally I would agree but when the choice is between a top-10 guard and an average tackle the choice becomes more complex. Today's NFL has a lot more great interior pass rushers than 15 years ago when guards were easily replaceable.

The most important thing for the Packers offensive line is to protect Rodgers´ blindside. While Bakhtiari has to improve blocking for the run he´s doing a nice job in pass protection. Rodgers was sacked a total of 14 times in only two games Bakhtiari wasn´t able to play. So while Sitton and Lang are elite guards in the league it is more important for the team to retain their starting left tackle next season.

I would like Sitton and Lang to be back as well but the salary cap will make it nearly impossible to re-sign both of them.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Trust me I am not saying they are easily replaced...however I do feel guard hits are easier to handle than losing outside or captain of OL (center) in the same year.

Fortunately Linsley is under contract for two more years.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

It's funny but everyone is so focused on Cook's receiving numbers yet PFF had Cook rated as the 11th best run blocker amongst TEs last season (and his hands are merely decorative in the passing game). Richard Rodgers was rated somewhere below Pete Carroll in blocking I believe...so Cook's largest impact on the offense might very well be in helping the run game.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

It's funny but everyone is so focused on Cook's receiving numbers yet PFF had Cook rated as the 11th best run blocker amongst TEs last season (and his hands are merely decorative in the passing game). Richard Rodgers was rated somewhere below Pete Carroll in blocking I believe...so Cook's largest impact on the offense might very well be in helping the run game.

We´ve already talked about Cook ´s ability to block for the run in this thread but his ability to stretch a defense in the passing game will most likely end up being his most important impact next season.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

The most important thing for the Packers offensive line is to protect Rodgers´ blindside. While Bakhtiari has to improve blocking for the run he´s doing a nice job in pass protection. Rodgers was sacked a total of 14 times in only two games Bakhtiari wasn´t able to play. So while Sitton and Lang are elite guards in the league it is more important for the team to retain their starting left tackle next season.

I would like Sitton and Lang to be back as well but the salary cap will make it nearly impossible to re-sign both of them.

You're comparing the team's performance without Bahk but you're not seeing the performance without Sitton and Lang. We're also not seeing how the loss of two of the better run blocking guards would impact the run game. Bahk is good but he certainly isn't good enough to demand the kind of salary that would necessitate letting both Sitton and Lang go. I think that one will most likely leave but losing both would be terrible.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

We´ve already talked about Cook ´s ability to block for the run in this thread but his ability to stretch a defense in the passing game will most likely end up being his most important impact next season.

Only if he can catch the ball. His best attribute is blocking. The Packer's tight ends last year were BAD at blocking. Jordy Nelson will be back. Cook's biggest impact will be blocking...unless you're projecting a Gronk-like year.

I know that receiving is more fun to project but I don't see how Cook is getting a ton more yards than Rodgers did last year when Nelson should be playing and Cobb should be healthy. There's only so many passes to go around.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Only if he can catch the ball. His best attribute is blocking. The Packer's tight ends last year were BAD at blocking. Jordy Nelson will be back. Cook's biggest impact will be blocking...unless you're projecting a Gronk-like year.

I know that receiving is more fun to project but I don't see how Cook is getting a ton more yards than Rodgers did last year when Nelson should be playing and Cobb should be healthy. There's only so many passes to go around.

I don't think its just Cook's ability to catch the ball that will be the key to having him on the field, it will be his ability to stretch the opposing defenses out, who will have to respect his speed and his ability to get down field. This in turn, may open things up underneath for guys like Cobb or Montgomery. While I don't think anyone expects a 1000 yard season from Cook, I think his contributions to the offense will be seen in other ways.

 

[Poppa San]

First pass of the season will be towards Cook as he's running down the seam. Just to send a message.

 

[PackerDNA]

Article up at NFL.com on best under the radar free agent signings. Cook comes in at #5.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

You're comparing the team's performance without Bahk but you're not seeing the performance without Sitton and Lang. We're also not seeing how the loss of two of the better run blocking guards would impact the run game. Bahk is good but he certainly isn't good enough to demand the kind of salary that would necessitate letting both Sitton and Lang go. I think that one will most likely leave but losing both would be terrible.

It´s tough to evaluate the offensive line´s performance without either Sitton or Lang as they combined to miss only one game last season. There´s no denying there will most likely be a drop-off in performance if the Packers let either one or both walk away in free agency next season but I think losing the starting left tackle would be even more devastating.

Only if he can catch the ball. His best attribute is blocking. The Packer's tight ends last year were BAD at blocking. Jordy Nelson will be back. Cook's biggest impact will be blocking...unless you're projecting a Gronk-like year.

I know that receiving is more fun to project but I don't see how Cook is getting a ton more yards than Rodgers did last year when Nelson should be playing and Cobb should be healthy. There's only so many passes to go around.

Cook doesn´t have to put up numbers like Gronkowski to have a huge impact for the Packers passing game. His ability to stretch a defense will open up short to intermediate routes as well as the running game. Of course he will have to make plays for the defense to pay attention to him but I'm convinced he's capable of doing so.

While he's a decent run blocker it's for sure not his best attribute and not the one the Packers signed him for.

 

[Sunshinepacker]

It´s tough to evaluate the offensive line´s performance without either Sitton or Lang as they combined to miss only one game last season. There´s no denying there will most likely be a drop-off in performance if the Packers let either one or both walk away in free agency next season but I think losing the starting left tackle would be even more devastating.



Cook doesn´t have to put up numbers like Gronkowski to have a huge impact for the Packers passing game. His ability to stretch a defense will open up short to intermediate routes as well as the running game. Of course he will have to make plays for the defense to pay attention to him but I'm convinced he's capable of doing so.

While he's a decent run blocker it's for sure not his best attribute and not the one the Packers signed him for.

People keep talking about his "ability to stretch the field" but sheer speed and athleticism don't automatically equal deep threat (just look at Janis). Cook needs to prove he can consistently catch the football before he's a real deep threat. Not to mention that Jordy Nelson is the main guy to stretch defenses. Cook obviously has the potential to help stretch the field but if we're looking at what he's actually proven on the field, it's his blocking that will be the largest improvement over the Packers previous group of tight ends.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

People keep talking about his "ability to stretch the field" but sheer speed and athleticism don't automatically equal deep threat (just look at Janis). Cook needs to prove he can consistently catch the football before he's a real deep threat. Not to mention that Jordy Nelson is the main guy to stretch defenses. Cook obviously has the potential to help stretch the field but if we're looking at what he's actually proven on the field, it's his blocking that will be the largest improvement over the Packers previous group of tight ends.

Cook is third among all active tight ends with at least 100 receptions in yards per catch, so he has proven to be capable of stretching a defense. In addition he has never played with a quarterback even close as talented as Rodgers. With Nelson and Cobb being the primary targets he won´t have to put up huge numbers to be effective.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

People keep talking about his "ability to stretch the field" but sheer speed and athleticism don't automatically equal deep threat (just look at Janis). Cook needs to prove he can consistently catch the football before he's a real deep threat. Not to mention that Jordy Nelson is the main guy to stretch defenses. Cook obviously has the potential to help stretch the field but if we're looking at what he's actually proven on the field, it's his blocking that will be the largest improvement over the Packers previous group of tight ends.

Jared Cook: 7 years in league, 273 receptions, 3,503 yards.

Jeff Janis: 2 years in league, 4 regular season catches, 95 yards.

Not really sure how you can compare these 2 players and what they can provide the Packer offense? The only thing they have in common is speed. Other then that, one is a WR with poor route running abilities and very little experience. The other is a 7 year vet. TE that has put up some good numbers during his career while playing with mediocre teams and QB's. I get your argument, but I think you are putting to much weight on the one knock on him, he can drop a pass or two. Sure, he is going to have to catch some balls to get the Defenses attention, but I don't think he is just the speedy decoy that Janis appears to be.

Given our cap situation next year, I think the Cook signing was perfect. Had the Packers not spent as much money signing their own, maybe they could have competed for Ladarius Green. However, in hindsight, I'm happy with Cook and the extra cap space of having him over Green, this will give us a bit more flexibility next year.

 

[tynimiller]

Give me 4,5,6 out of Cook.

4 TDs, 50 receptions and 600 yards. To me that will be a great success and with Nelson and Cobb and RR stealing some redzone catches I think this stat line is a good one to aim for.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Given our cap situation next year, I think the Cook signing was perfect. Had the Packers not spent as much money signing their own, maybe they could have competed for Ladarius Green. However, in hindsight, I'm happy with Cook and the extra cap space of having him over Green, this will give us a bit more flexibility next year.

It´s no secret that I would have preferred to sign Ladarius Green or Coby Fleener over Cook but he will add much needed athleticism to the position.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

It´s no secret that I would have preferred to sign Ladarius Green or Coby Fleener over Cook but he will add much needed athleticism to the position.

I definitely liked Green and Fleener over Cook at the beginning of the FA period. Again though, are they the product of the system and QB or individually super talented? Fleener had a mediocre year last year without Luck, his 9.1 yds/catch was even less then Richard Rodgers 9.4. Not to mention the money we would have had to pay to get him away from the Saints (five year, $36 million). Green had Rivers throwing to him and also was playing somewhat under the radar behind Gates. Where as Cook seemed to be the guy without a QB and team, yet still played pretty well despite the drops.

I'm perfectly fine with Cook. But it will be fun to see how the 3 TE's compare in 2016, all playing with decent QB's.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I definitely liked Green and Fleener over Cook at the beginning of the FA period. Again though, are they the product of the system and QB or individually super talented? Fleener had a mediocre year last year without Luck, his 9.1 yds/catch was even less then Richard Rodgers 9.4. Not to mention the money we would have had to pay to get him away from the Saints (five year, $36 million). Green had Rivers throwing to him and also was playing somewhat under the radar behind Gates. Where as Cook seemed to be the guy without a QB and team, yet still played pretty well despite the drops.

I'm perfectly fine with Cook. But it will be fun to see how the 3 TE's compare in 2016, all playing with decent QB's.

I´m perfectly fine with not signing Fleener after what the Saints agreed to pay him. On the other hand the Steelers didn´t have to overpay for Green.

 

[PackerDNA]

I´m perfectly fine with not signing Fleener after what the Saints agreed to pay him. On the other hand the Steelers didn´t have to overpay for Green.

Green's cap hit is lower this year, he's younger and is still regarded to have a very big upside.