Bryan Cook scored double points in KC Chiefs’ grading system this week. Here’s why

Bryan Cook sent a man sailing. And then he earned kudos in the Kansas City Chiefs film room.

Yes, KC special teams coach Dave Toub was pretty fired up after seeing replays of Cook’s kickoff return block against Tampa Bay, as between the hashes on the 30-yard line, he lifted one Buccaneer off the ground and then sent him colliding into one of his teammates during the first quarter on Sunday.

“He got two knockdowns: a block and then two knockdowns,” Toub said Friday. “In our production system, that’s what he got on that one play.”

Fellow teammate Leo Chenal labeled it a “double knockdown,” noting that Cook received twice the amount of special-teams points (within the team’s grading system) compared to a typical block.

Chenal also described the maneuver as “pretty sweet.”

“He definitely brings a load with the speed too,” Chenal said. “So he’s going to keep making those plays.”

KC’s 41-31 win over Tampa Bay appeared to be just the opening glimpse of what the rookie Cook could provide for this season — and also beyond.

In addition to the special-teams highlight, the Chiefs’ 2022 second-round draft pick more than doubled his snaps for the season on defense, logging 47 snaps after having combined for 37 in the previous three contests.

There was production too. Cook’s Pro Football Focus grade of 76.4 against Tampa Bay was his highest mark on the season and fourth-best among Chiefs defenders.

Cook, while admitting it was his best performance to date, said Friday in the locker room he was looking for more.

“I’m very hard on myself,” Cook said. “So I’ve got a lot of things ... even in that game, I played well, but you can see a lot of things I want to work on, wanted to tweak a little bit, just to help myself out.”

More than anything, Cook said he’s striving to help out teammates. In particular, he’s focused on pre-snap movement, hoping that can divert some of the attention away from pass rushers like Chris Jones or blitzing cornerbacks like L’Jarius Sneed.

“Trying to take the eyes off them for a second and put them on me, so that way, they can eat more,” Cook said. “Just trying to play with the quarterback a little bit, see what we can do with that.”

Game script was part of the reason for Cook’s extended snaps. Because KC took an early lead, it made sense to bring in an extra safety to provide additional pass-game support against Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.

One of Cook’s best plays came at the end of the first half. On a play-action pass, he trailed Tampa Bay tight end Cameron Brate to the end zone, reaching in to knock the ball away for a pass breakup.

Cook said the moment was all about trusting his previous training. While in college at Cincinnati, he was taught the “punch and grab” technique, which starts with a stab toward the football and ends with a pulling down on the receiver’s bottom arm. Then, if all goes as planned, the ball falls incomplete when the wideout’s underneath hand cannot secure the catch.

That’s exactly how things played out against Brate on Sunday.

“I’m trying to see where the ball was thrown, get arm placement where the ball’s coming from and knock it out,” Cook said. “So that was pretty good.”

Cook also earned the Chiefs’ highest tackling grade on PFF while contributing five stops and a QB hurry.

That didn’t mean everything went perfectly. On one play, Cook bailed from the line of scrimmage to cover a deep half of the field when he collided with fellow safety Juan Thornhill.

Cook classified that snap as “an accident” while saying it was a good example of how there was still room to grow.

“We’re still learning. A lot of chemistry to be increased on,” Cook said. “We’re definitely playing well. We’re definitely playing fully. But the chemistry can keep building and look more and more like an oiled machine. So I’m excited to see how it works as these weeks come across.”

As for the first impression he made ... Cook said his special-teams block mainly was about taking advantage of an opportunity in front of him.

One, he said, that led Toub to say the hit was “good stuff” during a special-teams meeting this week.

“I just took my shot, honestly,” Cook said with a smile. “And it worked out better than I thought.”