New England Patriots: Grading Brandin Cooks, Dwayne Allen, Kony Ealy Trades
The New England Patriots have made three aggressive trades in recent days. Let's put a letter grade on each individual move.
The New England Patriots are all in for the 2017 NFL season. Tom Brady will be 40 years old throughout next season, and while he has not shown any signs of slowing down, the Patriots know that now is the time to strike. The Patriots already have five Super Bowl championships in the Brady/Belichick era, but they are aggressively going for more.
The Patriots have made three trades already this offseason that put them in an even better position for immediate competition. They first acquired tight end Dwayne Allen from the Indianapolis Colts. Belichick and company followed that up by landing defensive end Kony Ealy from the Carolina Panthers and Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints in a blockbuster.
New England undoubtedly gave up a ton of draft capital to make these moves, but each player will be extremely important to the team going forward. The Patriots are obviously in a great position to compete, but it is a fine line between being aggressive and being careless.
Are the Patriots out of control or are they making smart moves? Find out as we give letter grades to each trade made by the New England Patriots this off season.
Dec 5, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA;
Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen (83) on a second half first down reception against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Colts get 2017 4th Round Pick (137th Overall)
Patriots Trade Grade: B+
The New England Patriots kicked off their trading season with an impressive deal with the Indianapolis Colts. After the Colts signed tight end Jack Doyle to a three-year deal, they made Dwayne Allen expendable. The Patriots sensed an opportunity and struck for the underrated tight end.
More from NFL Spin Zone
Allen is an elite blocker from the tight end position. He also shows enough speed and athleticism to be a serious threat as a receiver. Allen is never going to be a big-time receiver from the tight end position, but he is an underrated player who will fit the Patriots offense well.
Acquiring Allen allowed the Patriots to move on from Martellus Bennett, who eventually signed with the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Allen is a younger and probably cheaper option for than Bennett.
In exchange for Allen, all the Patriots had to do is trade down 61 spots from the bottom of the fourth round to the early/middle of the sixth. It is certainly draft capital given up, but a small price to pay for a solid and dependable tight end like Allen.
Having a dependable player like Allen around is important for the Patriots. Not only do they love to run multiple two tight end sets, the Pats cannot count on Rob Gronkowski to stay healthy. Allen is a strong insurance policy for the Patriots in the case of a Gronk injury. Trading for Allen was a strong move that helps solidify the Patriots as Super Bowl favorites.
Dec 4, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy (94) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Carolina, 40-7. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Panthers get 2017 2nd Round Pick (64th Overall)
Patriots Trade Grade: A+
I honestly do not understand why the Carolina Panthers would make this deal. I know that Kony Ealy has been inconsistent throughout the first three years of his career, but they gave him away for pretty much nothing.
In this deal, the Patriots sent the Panthers their second round pick (64th overall) and they get Kony Ealy and the Panthers third-round pick (72nd overall). Basically, the Patriots just traded down eight spots and added a potential impact player at a major position of need.
Ealy was a second-round selection by the Panthers (60th overall) back in 2014. He shows impressive quickness and athleticism on the edge and has the ability to put consistent pressure on the passer. However, Ealy has never reached his full potential on the field.
Through three seasons, Ealy 14 career regular season stats. The biggest game of his career came in Super Bowl 50 when Ealy sacked Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning three times. Maybe all Ealy needs is extra motivation to produce? He will certainly play in many big-time games with the Patriots.
Ealy is not a guaranteed stud or anything like that, but he is a talented player with some nice upside. The Patriots basically acquired him for free. Defensive end is an obvious position of need for New England and Ealy is undoubtedly a strong addition to the mix.
Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) celebrates after a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Saints get 2017 1st Round Pick (32nd Overall) and 2017 3rd Round Pick (103rd Overall)
Patriots Trade Grade: A-
Here is the major blockbuster. In Brandin Cooks, the New England Patriots acquire one of the most dynamic young receivers in the entire NFL. Cooks has elite speed and quickness at the wide receiver position. He is one of the best deep threats in the entire NFL and also has incredible catch and run ability.
Cooks is one of the most explosive players in all of football. Tom Brady and the Patriots are going to love getting him involved in their offense.
The swap of draft capital here is extremely interesting. The Saints snag the Patriots' first-round pick (32nd overall). That is obviously a huge price to pay, but Cooks is a proven player who has massive upside and ability. He is more proven than any upcoming rookie and has more potential than most.
The New England Patriots also send their third-round compensatory selection (103rd overall), but get back the Saints' fourth-round pick. The Saints fourth-rounder is 118th overall, but that pick will be forfeited from DeflateGate. Instead, the Patriots will pick at 132nd overall. So, the Patriots trade their first-round pick for Cooks and also trade down 28 total spots from the third to fourth round.
The price was not cheap, but Cooks is an absolute stud who is going to dominate in the Patriots offense. He is undoubtedly worth the price of the acquisition. An already incredible offensive unit just snagged arguably the most explosive offensive weapon in the entire NFL. Another fantastic trade.
