Bills Sign Six-Time 1,000-Yard WR: Can He Help the Offense?
The Buffalo Bills are set to sign wide receiver Brandin Cooks to their active roster, adding experience to their wide receiver group. Cooks, a 32-year-old veteran of 12 NFL seasons, joins after clearing waivers. Contract details aren't public yet, but his new deal is likely less than the two-year, $13 million contract from which he was just released. His addition gives Buffalo a much-needed veteran presence and a reliable route runner during a crucial stretch of the season.
Saints Wanted Cooks in Packed WR Draft
The Saints traded up to the 20th-overall selection to pick Cooks in the 2014 NFL Draft. The speedster out of Oregon State was the first time the Saints had drafted a receiver since 2007, and Cooks and Chris Olave have been the only wide receivers taken with their 15 first-round picks since ‘14. That draft certainly had a loaded draft at wide receiver with Mike Evans, Odell Beckham, Jr., and Davante Adams all being picked that year. However, Cooks has still maintained a respectable career despite never being named a Pro Bowl.
Traded Around the League, Cooks Struggled to Find an NFL Home
Cooks spent his first three seasons in New Orleans before being traded to the Patriots in a surprising move that cost the Patriots a first-round and third-round pick that ended up turning into Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson, respectively. Cooks had a pretty underwhelming season with the Patriots, considering what the team gave up for him and the fact that his only competition at wide receiver was Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola. 65 receptions for 1,082 receiving yards is nothing to scoff at, but Tom Brady didn’t win MVP that season because of how great his receivers were. After the failed experiment with the Pats, he was shipped off again for a first-round pick, this time going to the Los Angeles Rams, who coincidentally met the Patriots in that season’s Super Bowl. Rams coach Sean McVay unlocked a lot of Cooks’ potential, with arguably his best season coming in 2018.
Life of a Journeyman Continues by Going to the Lone Star State Throughout the 2020s
After a strong 2018 season, Cooks' momentum was stalled by a concussion the following year, which resulted in a trade to the Houston Texans for a second-round pick. In Houston, he proved his recovery by leading the team's receivers for two consecutive seasons after DeAndre Hopkins’ departure, posting 81 catches for 1,150 yards and six touchdowns. In 2022, as he turned 29, Cooks transitioned into a secondary receiver role. The following year, he matched the NFL record for most trades, joining the Cowboys’ established receiving corps. He was a solid number two receiver before injuries limited him to just ten games in 2024.
Second Stint in New Orleans Yielded Underwhelming Results
In his first contract signed as a free agent in his career, the journeyman came back to New Orleans this season. Unfortunately for Cooks, this signing meant a step back in playing time as Olave and Rashid Shaheed had already been established as the top two wide receivers in New Orleans. He was well-suited in the number three WR role from what can be seen during this stint with the Saints. Cooks played in almost 60% of the Saints' offensive snaps but didn’t have much to show for it other than a few games of three receptions for less than 25 receiving yards. In Week 10, the first game after Shaheed had been traded, Cooks was held without a reception while Olave popped off for over 100 yards on five receptions and a touchdown, while also being out snapped by Devaughn Vele. The Saints saw the writing on the wall and decided to release the veteran receiver on November 19.
Can He Boost the Production of Buffalo’s Passing Attack?
Cook cleared waivers and signed with the Bills, but how much does he have left in the tank? It’s gotten to a point in the season where even a signing like this gives hope for Bills fans that their offense might get fixed. With 2024’s 33rd-overall pick Keon Coleman getting healthy scratched for two games in a row, the Bills are clearly desperate for a reliable receiver to play on the outside. He’ll join the likes of Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, and Tyrell Shavers in the wide receiver room. Shakir leads the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards, but he plays primarily in the slot, and the team has been begging for an outside receiver to get consistent separation like him. In this crowded room, something must give, and if Cooks ends up solidifying his spot on the roster, that will make for a difficult decision on what to do with the aforementioned Coleman, Samuel, and Moore. It’s becoming increasingly more likely that the Bills' game day roster will include: Gabe Davis, a fellow in-season acquisition who has one practice squad elevation remaining, Cooks, Shakir, Palmer, and Shavers, who’s been consistently logging snaps on offense as well as special teams.
