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When the Saints signed tight end Jared Cook in March, there were a lot of people who shared the view that his partnership with quarterback Drew Brees would be a productive one for the team.

Cook’s size and athleticism were the biggest reason to think that he’d open new avenues for Brees to exploit on an offense that didn’t have any problem churning up points in the first place. Brees and Cook haven’t had a lot of time to work on the field together at this point, but the quarterback’s early review is that Cook is living up to expectations.

“I’d read a lot of good things about him before he got here, but he’s certainly impressed us these first couple of days,” Brees said, via the New Orleans Advocate. “He’s got a great feel for the game, and I think he’s going to fit very well in our offense. He’s got great length, so he’s got a big catch radius. You feel confident with those 50-50 balls. You feel like there’s a lot of places where you can throw if where he can get it and the other guy can’t. Anytime you have a target like that, you feel like that’s a good matchup.”

Cook’s career has had its ups and downs since he entered the league in 2009, but the last two years with the Raiders were definite high points. Playing with the Saints offers a chance to rise even higher and winning over Brees early is a good way to reach that goal.