National Football League

Rams reach deal with TE Cook

Published Mar. 12, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

The St. Louis Rams may lose two of their wide receivers in free agency, but they did bolster their offense Tuesday by reaching a five-year contract agreement with former Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook.

Cook was in South Florida on Tuesday and courted heavily by the Dolphins, which signed Pittsburgh wide receiver Mike Wallace to a contract shortly after Tuesday’s start of the free-agent signing period. The Browns also were in the bidding for Cook but not at nearly the same level of interest as Miami and St. Louis, a source told FOXSports.com.

Cook will now be reunited with Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, who held the same position with the Titans when the University of South Carolina product was chosen in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft.

The 6-foot-5, 248-pound Cook is among the league’s most athletic tight ends. But such skill hasn’t translated into big numbers during his first four NFL seasons. Cook’s receiving totals (44 catches for 253 yards) in 2012 were lower than the previous season. Cook has never posted more than 50 passes, 800 receiving yards or four touchdowns in a single year.

The potential, though, is there for the 25-year-old Cook to become one of the NFL’s top tight ends. The Rams also need more offensive firepower for quarterback Sam Bradford with wide receivers Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson drawing interest elsewhere in free agency. The New York Daily News reported that Gibson is set to meet Wednesday with the New York Jets.

The Titans already have signed Delanie Walker away from San Francisco as Cook’s replacement in the starting lineup.