Jared Cook looking at the 2019 season's second half as 'a new opportunity'

LINK

Jared Cook is looking for a new beginning to his new beginning.

The New Orleans Saints tight end, acquired this offseason via free agency, is taking a positive approach to the second half of the 2019 season after a quiet start to his time in New Orleans.

Cook, who signed a two-year $15 million contract with New Orleans this offseason after making the Pro Bowl with Oakland in 2018, caught 15 passes for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns before an ankle injury sidelined him for the last two games.

That’s well off the pace he established in the first half last season, when he caught 38 passes for 494 yards in the first eight games with the Raiders. But Cook sounded neither worried nor frustrated when speaking to reporters Monday.

“A lot of times, the second half of the season is looked at as a new opportunity, the slate’s clean, a chance to start over,” Cook said. “I’m just looking at it as a new opportunity and a way to start with a clean slate and pick up production from here.”

The injury to quarterback Drew Brees certainly did not help Cook’s transition into the Saints’ offense.

Brees and Cook appeared to develop a strong chemistry during Saints training camp practices, with the veteran quarterback consistently looking Cook’s way. They frequently connected for explosive gains against the Saints’ first-team defense, which led many to believe Cook was in line for a big year.

But after Brees went down early in a Week 2 loss to Los Angeles, Cook appeared to have trouble getting on the same page as quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. In Weeks 2-4, Cook pulled down just six of the 15 passes thrown his way (two of which were thrown by Brees, both incomplete).

Just as Cook looked to be finding his stride both with Bridgewater and in the Saints offense, catching seven of nine targets for a pair of touchdowns in Weeks 5 and 6, he sustained an ankle injury that forced him out of the lineup for each of New Orleans’ last two games.

Cook declined to comment on his injury or his expected return date, but he did stay in New Orleans during the bye week to go through treatment and was spotted on the field during pregame warmups against the Cardinals, suggesting his return may be imminent.

And Brees stayed in constant contact with Cook even as he recovered from his own injury. He would pull up plays from Saints games and practices, as well as other plays teams around the NFL were running, always working on building the relationship even though they have only played in one game together (including the preseason).

“The good thing about me and Drew is we’ve been talking throughout this whole process, staying in each other’s ear,” Cook said.

New Orleans could benefit in a big way from an improved Cook. The Saints passing game this season has been almost entirely dependent on Michael Thomas, and while Thomas has produced at an elite level, a true second downfield threat should continue to create opportunities for him.

Perhaps that’s coming. Though Cook has not yet produced at the level many were expecting at the beginning of the season, he has not dampened his own expectations for what is yet in store.

“Coming off a big year last year, yeah, of course, you always want to do good things, you always want to do big things, keep things moving positive,” Cook said. “But I think the biggest test of a man is how he reacts after adversity. That’s just going to be a big stepping stone for me going forward.”