Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook is coming off a breakout season during which he caught 49 passes for 759 yards and three touchdowns. Jones' 15.5 yards-per-catch average ranked second among NFL tight ends (the New York Giants' Jake Ballard led the way at 15.9). But as Cook enters the final year of his rookie contract, he's looking to improve his blocking and consistency.
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"I am not satisfied. I want to get better at every phase and be a guy coaches can count on week in and week out," Cook said, via Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. "I want to be that complete tight end that everybody looks around the league and sees. That's what I am looking forward to."
As Wyatt notes, Cook's final numbers were padded by a three-week stretch at the end of season when he caught 21 passes for 335 yards and one of his three touchdowns. In 13 games prior to his outburst, Cook had 28 receptions for 414 yards and had gone without a reception in two games immediately before he began his streak. (In Cook's defense, he had sustained a concussion in Week 12.)
The 6-foot-5 Cook has played at 246 pounds, and he's adding weight to improve his blocking and shed his "receiving tight end" label.
"Some guys at the position nowadays like to think of themselves as a receiver first," Titans tight ends coach John Zernhelt said. "Cookie likes to see himself as a tight end where if called on he can do a good job. It is important to him. And he's been doing a great job."
