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Significant Investments: 12 Questionable Checks that Stan Kroenke has Written Since Purchasing the St. Louis Rams

By Patrick Karraker

Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke on the sidelines prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jared Cook St. Louis Rams
Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (21) and St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook (89) reach for a pass during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Jared Cook

It’s fair to make an argument that Cook has been the Rams’ worst investment since Kroenke took over, and many Rams fans would probably be inclined to argue that he is. The Rams signed Cook, a 6-foot-6, 250-pounder with 4.4 speed, to a five-year, $35 million-dollar deal ($16M guaranteed) before the 2013 season. He hasn’t come close to living up to that value during his three seasons in St. Louis.

In fairness to Cook, he was signed to play in a pass-heavy offensive scheme that the Rams abandoned after four games. He was intended to provide mismatches from all areas of the field with his size and athleticism, almost to be an oversized wide receiver a la Jimmy Graham with the New Orleans Saints. Instead, Cook has ended up serving as an traditional in-line tight end with lots of blocking responsibilities for nearly all of his Rams tenure. He’s not nearly as effective of a weapon in that type of a role, and we already knew when he signed with the Rams that blocking wasn’t his strong suit.

Statistically, he’s been the Rams’ top receiving tight end since they moved to St. Louis, though that isn’t exactly saying much. He’s caught just 55.9 percent of the passes that have been thrown his way during his three years in St. Louis, and he’s had some momentous drops that have hurt the team and damaged his reputation with his quarterbacks, as well as Rams fans. Cook was the Rams’ leading receiver in 2013 with 671 yards, but since the opener of that year, when he caught seven passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, he hasn’t any other games where he’s collected at least 100 receiving yards. He had 39 catches for 481 yards and no touchdowns–his worst totals since 2010–during a stressful 2015 campaign.

The Rams have already spent $21 million on Cook ($2.6 million per touchdown), and with the talent at the tight end position as lacking as it’s been around the NFL in a while, it’s quite possible that they’ll bring him back for his $7 million-dollar salary next year. While the conditions haven’t exactly been ideal for Cook to succeed in St. Louis, it’s unfortunate that one of Kroenke’s costliest “significant investments” has done so little to actually improve the Rams’ offensive attack.

Next: 7. Greg Robinson

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