American Football
Former NFL star tips 'special' Rams to dethrone Seahawks and win NFC West
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Last season, the NFC West produced the Super Bowl champion and one of the most competitive divisional races in recent memory.
Former NFL wide receiver Brandin Cooks has been watching closely, and he has a clear view of where things stand heading into 2026.
Speaking on Good Morning Football, available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN, Cooks offered a clear assessment of which NFC West team he thinks will come out on top in 2026.
Why Cooks thinks the Seahawks won't repeat
Seattle won Super Bowl LX on the back of a dominant defense and the MVP performance of running back Kenneth Walker III.
According to Cooks, Walker's departure to the Kansas City Chiefs will be felt in Seattle.
"You lose Kenneth Walker, Super Bowl MVP, that's a hard piece to replace," he said, casting doubt on Seattle's ability to defend their crown.
"It's the greatest division in football right now," Cooks said, "It's going to be hard for Seattle to really repeat in the NFC West."
Cooks says the 49ers remain a genuine threat
"Anytime you have Kyle Shanahan as your head coach, you've got a great opportunity to win games," Cooks said, heaping praise on the former Assistant Coach of the Year.
"They were unhealthy last year, and they still made the playoffs", he continued, presumably referring, primarily, to the loss of defensive cornerstones Fred Warner and Nick Bosa.
Cooks tips the Rams to win the division
The Rams were one of the best teams in the NFL last year, boasting an offense that put up points almost at will.
Ultimately, they lost the NFC Championship Game to Seattle largely because their secondary failed to contain Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Los Angeles fixed the problem in the most aggressive way possible, trading a first-round pick to acquire All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs.
They then signed McDuffie's former Chiefs teammate Jaylen Watson on a three-year deal to complete a total overhaul of the cornerback position.
Cooks believes those moves make the Rams the team to beat in the division.
"What the Rams did this offseason, loading up on McDuffie and Watson at corner, they've filled those holes to stop that passing attack from Seattle."
He is particularly high on what McDuffie offers as a shadow corner, with Smith-Njigba specifically in mind.
"McDuffie is going to be able to follow your No. 1," Cooks said. "In this situation, what we're talking about is following JSN throughout the game."
For Cooks, McDuffie's track record is what makes him the ideal man for that assignment. "He has a championship pedigree," he said of the two-time Super Bowl winner.
"At the end of the day, I think the Rams take this one, and the reason why is because they loaded up on defense," he continued.
"With that offense and Sean McVay leading that team.. It’s going to be special."
