Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien agrees with former Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ evaluation that Brandin Cooks is arguably the smartest receiver he has ever been around.

Phillips was the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator from 2017-19, and Cooks was with the NFC West team from 2018-19.

However, O’Brien believes Cooks is one of a few smart receivers the Texans already have on their roster.

“Brandin is a very bright guy,” O’Brien said. “Randall Cobb is a smart guy. Will is a smart guy. Kenny Stills. Those guys, they’re really bright guys that can run routes and they can all run.”

What separates Cooks, a speed guy, from the rest of the pack of speedy wideouts in the NFL is his ability to run a variety of routes.

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“When you have the combination of really good speed and you can run the routes, kind of like I was saying earlier, that’s a really good combination,” said O’Brien. “Sometimes you have guys that are just straight-line fast and they can run go-routes and they can run maybe a post route or whatever. But if you have guys that have speed and then they can do a lot of different things, you can line them up in different places and you match them up in different places, then that’s a good thing.”

Though the Texans have a dynamic receiving corps on paper, on the gridiron is a whole different matter. Cobb, Cooks, Fuller, and Stills all missed time last year and, as a quartet, haven’t exactly been the picture of perfect health for their careers. That is one compromising factor Houston will have to contend with throughout the season.

“The whole key to all of it is the health, making sure they stay healthy and they’re ready to go and you get good practice time with Deshaun (Watson),” said O’Brien. “Right now, I believe we’re on track there.”

If the Texans passing game gets on the same page with Watson and his speedy, smart receivers, then opposing defenses will be put into plenty of conflict throughout the season.