Team news: Dallas Cowboys | Page 59

The Los Angeles Rams have signed Brandin Cooks to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal is worth $80 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"Brandin Cooks has shown himself to be a class act on and off the field since the first day he joined our team," HC Sean McVay said in a statement. "He's a proven professional in this league and signing him to a long-term contract was always our goal."

Acquired in an offseason trade with the New England Patriots, Cooks, 24, has yet to play a snap for the Rams, but coach Sean McVay liked what he saw from the receiver throughout the offseason program. Cooks said he knew he wanted to sign a long-term contract shortly after arriving at the team's training facility and observing the culture established by McVay, the story said.

WR Cole Beasley will be a key player for Dallas to re-establish what it's calling a "Dak-friendly" offense. In the slot in 2016, Beasley epitomized that role as the line protected for Prescott and Beasley grabbed underneath balls when Dak Prescott didn't hand off to Ezekiel Elliott. Now, Beasley's working on expanding his route tree under new receivers coach Sanjay Lal.

The story said Dallas plans to shift several receivers across different positions with routes similar that Prescott will know where they're going regardless of who he is targeting. It's likely going to be a receiver by committee approach with Dez Bryant released and Jason Witten retiring.

Rams head coach Sean McVay had nothing but positive things to say about new receiver addition, Brandin Cooks.

“I think you’ve just liked what you’ve seen overall,” head coach Sean McVay said. “He’s got a great rapport already with Jared, and he feels really good with the receiver group. I think he’s done a nice job kinda fitting into that room and really endearing himself to his teammates. We sure like him as coaches, too.”

This could just be coach speak, but it certainly seems to be the complete opposite of what the Rams had last year with Sammy Watkins, who had just 70 targets in 15 games. Cooks figures to lead the Rams in targets in 2018. He is currently the No. 23 wide receiver off the board in fantasy drafts.

While Dalvin Cook is ahead of schedule and is slated to be the centerpiece of the Minnesota Vikings’ offense, head coach Mike Zimmer appears to be happy with last year’s No. 1 runner Latavius Murray.

“Latavius had a great spring,” Zimmer said Tuesday. “He looks way better than he did at this time [last season]. Obviously at the beginning of training camp last year when he was hurt, but he was out there today and I said, ‘you’re running the ball really good.’ He’s seeing things well, he’s making good cuts, and I think there will be good competition.”

Related players: Mack Brown, C.J. Ham, Mike Boone, Roc Thomas.

The two have been splitting first-team reps the story said. There is still a battle for the No. 3 RB job set to take place between Brown, Ham, Boone, and Thomas.

Dalvin Cook’s workload ramped up this week, after he received the green light to participate in team drills at Vikings Organized Team Activity practices.

It was another step in the right direction for the Vikings running back, who suffered a torn ACL in early October at home against the Lions.

And while it has been eight months since his injury, Cook offered assurances and positive vibes Tuesday afternoon while speaking with the Twin Cities media.

“I’m still that same guy. You just have to pick up from where I left off,” Cook said. “I’m just going out there and playing football.

“I’m still Dalvin Cook. I haven’t left. The motivation is still there,” Cook added. “The talent is still there, just a little older – that’s it.”

The story went on to say in Tuesday’s session that was open to the media, Cook looked like his old self. He took a handoff and cut up the middle, showed some burst going out for a route and even stepped up in pass protection. We have Cooked ranked seventh among our RBs.

Lions running backs coach David Walker this week described second-round pick RB Kerryon Johnson as a "three-down player.”

However, the Lions would like to believe they’re in a spot where they don’t have to use Johnson as an every-down workhorse this early in his career.

NFL teams have traded up for just five running backs in the first three rounds of the last four drafts: Melvin Gordon, Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, and Johnson.

It should be noted it was easier to forecast early volume as rookies for Gordon and Hunt, due to a lack of competition in the backfield at the time. However, at this point last offseason, there was certainly ambiguity in the backfields of Kamara on the Saints and Cook on the Vikings, for Cook at least until mid-to-late August. That type of ambiguity in the backfield can lead to discounts in fantasy drafts, where Johnson is currently being drafted in the eighth round or later. Detroit aggressively traded up for him, using premium draft capital in an offseason where they are looking to overhaul their running game.

Patriots are trading WR Brandin Cooks and a fourth-round pick to LA Rams for the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick, league sources told ESPN.

Cooks' value takes a hit in Los Angeles, where he'll compete for targets with Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Jared Goff is no Tom Brady, and Sammy Watkins only saw 70 targets in 15 games (4.7 per game) in the role that Cooks is expected to fill. Woods and Kupp see slight downgrades as well. As for New England, this moves shows a lot of confidence in Chris Hogan and Julian Edelman, who will now vie for targets alongside Rob Gronkowski.

After serving a six-game suspension, Ezekiel Elliott due back at Cowboys’ training complex this morning.

Related players: Alfred Morris, Rod Smith

The team hadn't had contact with Elliott during the suspension, but he was reportedly working on losing weight outside the country for the last six weeks. Elliott should be a nice addition to fantasy lineups in Week 16 against the Seahawks, who were just lit up by the Rams in Week 15. One would think Elliott gets a nice workload, but maybe because it's his first week back, the Cowboys ease him back in with Morris and Smith still getting some touches. Either way, Elliott is shaping up to be a solid play for what is likely your fantasy finals.