Someday after becoming a free agent, Brandin Cooks has quickly found a brand new home. The Bills announced that they’ve signed the veteran wide receiver to their energetic roster.
The Saints and Cooks mutually agreed to part ways last Wednesday, but there was a slight holdup over “contractual technicalities.” After the Saints amended Cooks’ contract, he passed through waivers unclaimed and have become free to sign anywhere on Monday.
A primary-round pick of the Saints in 2014, Cooks is now heading to his sixth NFL destination. The 32-year-old has been a part of a record-tying 4 trades during his profession, however the Saints didn’t discover a taker for him before the Nov. 4 deadline. Cooks has endured a down 12 months with just 19 catches and 165 yards (8.7 YPC) over 10 scoreless games, which explains why teams weren’t wanting to trade draft compensation for him.
While Cooks didn’t produce much in Latest Orleans with quarterbacks Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler this season, he can have a greater probability in Buffalo with reigning MVP Josh Allen on the helm. Cooks is definitely probably the most completed receiver on the Bills’ roster, having amassed 729 catches, 9,697 receiving yards, and 60 touchdowns in 168 regular-season games.
The receiver position has been a sore spot all year long for the Bills, who tried to handle the difficulty on the deadline. They reportedly made a big offer to the AFC East rival Dolphins for Jaylen Waddle, but they didn’t reel in him or anyone else. With receiver remaining an issue area, the Bills have dropped two of three because the deadline to fall to 7-4. They’re unlikely to chase down the 10-2 Patriots for a sixth straight division title, and a wild-card berth doesn’t seem like a guarantee in a conference loaded with playoff contenders.
The Bills’ need at receiver became much more glaring over the past couple of weeks with head coach Sean McDermott making second-year man Keon Coleman a healthy inactive twice in a row. Coleman sat out a 44-32 win over the Buccaneers in Week 11 after he was consistently late to meetings. He also didn’t play within the Bills’ 23-19 loss to the Texans last Thursday. It’s unclear if he’ll return to the lineup this Sunday in an important meeting with the Steelers. Regardless, it’s fair to say Coleman has not panned out as hoped since going thirty third overall within the 2024 draft.
Coleman has joined nearly all of the Bills’ receiving corps in underwhelming this season. Slot goal Khalil Shakir has put together one other productive campaign, but Josh Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Tyrell Shavers have all caught fewer than 20 passes apiece.
While Gabe Davis played within the Bills’ past two games and picked up 4 receptions for 62 yards, he’s not on their energetic roster. The Bills can only elevate him from their practice squad yet another time before they must sign him. Mecole Hardman, also on the practice squad, played in a single game before happening IR with a calf injury last week.
It’s unknown what number of other teams joined Buffalo in vying for Cooks, but Denver was not amongst them. The AFC West leaders had a connection to Cooks in head coach Sean Payton, who was in charge in Latest Orleans when the wideout entered the league. Despite that, the Broncos weren’t in the combination for Cooks, in accordance with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.