Jared Cook

The tight end position plays a pivotal role in many offenses but perhaps more for the New Orleans Saints than most. The latest player to step into this role and produce was Jared Cook and he did well enough to be considered one of the better tight ends in the league.

Cook appeared in 14 games during his first season with the Saints and totaled 43 receptions for 705 yards and nine touchdowns. He didn’t have the yardage that other tight ends had but his frequent visits to the end-zone raised his profile when stacked up with other tight ends.

While he was tied with four other players for total receiving touchdowns last season, only Kenny Golladay (11), Cooper Kupp (10), and Mark Andrews (10) racked up more outright than Cook.

The impact Cook made in the red-zone, in particular, was truly impressive. With teams having to focus on threats like Michael Thomas, Taysom Hill, and Alvin Kamara, Cook was able to take advantage. It will become even more difficult with Emmanuel Sanders now in the mix.