Gene Frenette: Jaguars need more players to do their job as well as punter Logan Cooke

Two hours after the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft, when the Jaguars’ final pick at No. 247 overall was Mississippi State’s Logan Cooke, I spotted then special-teams coach Joe DeCamillis exiting TIAA Bank Field and playfully blurted out: “Brought some competition in for your punter, huh?” 

DeCamillis, not one to mince words, looked at me and replied: “Competition?” Then he put out his right hand, with only the thumb sticking out, and quickly waved it up in the air to signal that six-year veteran Jaguars punter Brad Nortman was on his way out. 

Sure enough, less than 48 hours later, the arrival of Cooke sent Nortman to the unemployment line. His punting average had dropped 2.5 yards in 2017 and Nortman never punted in the NFL again. 

As for Cooke, four years later, he remains arguably the best special-teams player upgrade in Jaguars history. 

Gene's previous three columns:

Good sign:Jaguars' Walker flashes against Raiders, Baalke critics silent, RIP to two icons

Who's next?:With Tony Boselli in, which Jags should be next for the Hall of Fame?

Piecing it together:Jaguars' offensive line coach Phil Rauscher must find right unit combination

You’ll get no argument from DeCamillis, now the special teams coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and Cooke’s position coach for three years.

After watching his former player put five punts inside the 20 and boom a 68-yard punt last December in the Jaguars’ 37-7 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion, he still thinks Cooke belongs with the NFL elite at his position. 

“When Logan was a rookie [in 2018], it was a challenge for him to understand he could take the punt returner out of the game by playing keep away,” DeCamillis said in a phone interview from Rams' training camp. “He relied on bombing it. Now he understands situational football and where he fits in. He figured out at a pretty young age how to win the battle of field position. 

“I think he’s one of the top [punters] in the league, if not the top. In my opinion, he’s been the best player on the [Jaguars’] roster for two or three years.” 

Unfortunately, that’s a problem the Jaguars must rectify in 2022 if they want to make a legitimate ascent under new coach Doug Pederson. Simply put: Cooke needs to have lots of competition as the team’s most consistent player. 

While every NFL franchise welcomes a dependable punter, it’s not a good sign when that specialist is held in higher regard for his job performance than just about anybody else on the team. 

Real fake deal is real

Beyond his strong leg and knack for pinning opposing offenses deep in their territory when the opportunity arises, Cooke’s athleticism adds to his effectiveness as a punter. 

A former high school quarterback, receiver and defensive back, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Cooke could also run a fast ball close to 90 m.p.h. at one point and posts golf scores in the 80s despite playing sparingly. Cooke also owns an outdoorsman’s company that specializes in turkey calls. 

DeCamillis needled him about his hobby preferences, saying: “He’d be a lot better golfer if he wouldn’t spend so much time fishing or in a deer stand.” 

But Cooke’s talent, along with an instinctive feel for the art of punting that he didn’t have at Mississippi State, has elevated his game among the NFL’s best. Perhaps he would have a Pro Bowl designation to show for it if the Jaguars didn’t have an abysmal 15-50 record during his four seasons. 

Since the NFL began keeping net punting average statistics in 1976, Cooke’s career mark of 43.1 yards is best in the league for punters with a minimum 250 punts.     

Opposing punt returners have only a 6.2-yard average against Cooke, a testament to his hang time and ability to put the ball in places where gunners can either down the ball or keep returners from finding an opening. He credits punt protection communicator Andrew Wingard and long snapper Ross Matiscik, as well as gunners Rudy Ford and Chris Claybrooks, for making his job easier. 

“Every punt, my mindset is how can I help our defense the next play, whether it’s pinning them deep or hitting a long ball from the back of the end zone,” said Cooke. “People don’t see it, but Dewey [Wingard] is pretty much the quarterback of our punt team as far as calling front looks and who’s rushing and who’s supposed to block who. 

“The way he calls fronts, I trust that dude to do whatever he wants to do. Trusting your protection guys helps a lot, so I just focus on what I’m doing.” 

What Cooke does is give the Jaguars a big-time weapon to win the field position battle. Poor team record aside, Cooke’s NFL rankings from 2018-21 of 12th, T-1st, 6th and 2nd in net punting is also a product of the Jaguars’ trust in him to execute fake punts. Opponents know they have to be mindful of fakes, which can keep teams from being too aggressive going for blocks. 

Cooke is 3-of-3 passing in his career, though the southpaw hasn’t thrown a pass since converting a first down with a 7-yarder to safety Cody Davis against the Atlanta Falcons in 2019. 

“I like the fake aspect of it,” Cooke said. “It lets me kind of get to playing football instead of just punting the ball.” 

It didn’t take new Jaguars’ special-teams coach Heath Farwell long to pick up on what an underrated weapon he has in Cooke. 

“The fake deal is there, is real,” said Farwell. “He throws the ball like a quarterback out here. He prides himself on telling me he’s the emergency quarterback. We’ll see if that plays out that way. He is a talented player that can do everything. He can run fakes. He’s a great holder. 

“I knew he was a good holder and he’s even better than I thought and that’s something we can’t overlook because that helps the kickers so much just setting the table.” 

Rising to Cooke’s level 

Now the challenge for Pederson and his staff is getting the every-down starters to execute as consistently as Cooke, who signed a four-year contract extension in March, 2021, for $12 million. 

He’s already the second-longest tenured seventh-round pick in team history behind defensive tackle Rob Meier (2000-09). Cooke is one of those valuable bargains NFL teams usually need to have long-term success.  

So just imagine how much improved the Jaguars could be this season if, say, just a few team holdovers from this grouping — Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Tyson Campbell, Jawaan Taylor, Cam Robinson, Rayshawn Jenkins, Shaq Griffin, DaVon Hamilton, Roy Roberterson-Harris — performed reasonably close to the punter’s level.  

The elephant in the room few want to acknowledge is the Jaguars have had way too many average or below-average starters on their roster since 2018.

Once the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Yannick Ngakoue and Calais Campbell left the building, nobody except Cooke — and departed kicker Josh Lambo until he flamed out — has been able to sustain excellence. 

But having an elite special-teams player or two can only carry any NFL team so far. What’s required for the Jaguars to have success is for quarterback Lawrence, plus somebody among the receivers, running backs, pass-rushers and cornerbacks, to demonstrate they can get reasonably close to being productive as Cooke on a consistent basis. 

Other than free-agent acquisition Brandon Scherff, a five-time Pro Bowl guard as a member of the Washington Commanders, nobody on the Jaguars has proven they can do that. 

When the 2022 season ends, if Logan Cooke easily remains the team’s most dependable player, that won't be a good thing.  

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540 

Gene Frenette Sports columnist at Florida Times-Union, follow him on Twitter @genefrenette