Brandin Cooks likes his new teammates.
The Houston Texans added to their offensive arsenal primarily through the 2022 NFL draft with the selection of first-round guard Kenyon Green, second-round receiver John Metchie, and fourth-round running back Dameon Pierce. The trio should be able to protect second-year quarterback Davis Mills while also providing effective options to keep drives alive and score points.
The Texans also drafted fifth-round tight end Teagan Quitoriano to assist second-year tight end Brevin Jordan and add to a stable that includes veterans Antony Auclair and Pharaoh Brown.
“We’ve got a lot of special guys on this side of the ball that we added, not just at the receiver position but in the backfield, whether it’s from tight ends, the offensive line,” Cooks told reporters May 24 during organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center. “I think [general manager] Nick (Caserio) did a great job in the draft and free agent-wise.”
The notable detail that jumps out to Cooks, who has recorded two consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards in as many seasons with the Texans, is how the players on offense have rallied behind new coach Lovie Smith and Pep Hamilton, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator in the offseason.
“Like I said, the biggest thing that I see right now is that everyone is bought in and everyone’s unselfish,” said Cooks. “I think that’s where a great offense starts at: just unselfishness.”
The Texans have won just four games in both of Cooks’ seasons in Houston. With the Texans investing resources in Mills, giving him more options in the passing game along with a run game, it should make Houston more competitive in ballgames than they have been since 2020. Stacking wins would be the ultimate reward for an unselfish squad.
