The Buffalo Bills signed wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Tuesday, adding a veteran presence to their passing attack amid injuries and inconsistencies. Cooks, recently released by the New Orleans Saints, brings experience from six NFL teams to help quarterback Josh Allen. The 7-4 Bills aim to bolster their offense ahead of a Week 13 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Buffalo Bills announced the signing of 32-year-old wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Tuesday, providing a much-needed boost to their receiving corps. Cooks, a former first-round pick (No. 20 overall) out of Oregon State, was granted his release from the New Orleans Saints earlier this month after signing a two-year, $13 million deal in free agency. In 10 games with the Saints this season, he recorded 19 receptions for 165 yards and zero touchdowns, playing a limited role in Kellen Moore's offense.
Cooks enters his 12th NFL season and sixth different franchise, having previously suited up for the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys. He boasts six 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made history as the first player to achieve that mark in three consecutive years with three different teams from 2016 to 2018. Two seasons ago with the Cowboys, Cooks caught 54 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns.
Buffalo's passing offense ranks top-10 league-wide with 234.6 yards per game, but lacks a dominant receiver. Khalil Shakir leads the team with 564 receiving yards, which ranks 32nd in the NFL. Recent injuries have thinned the group: Curtis Samuel missed the Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans with elbow and neck issues, Mecole Hardman sat out with a calf injury, and rookie Keon Coleman has been a healthy scratch for the past two weeks. Tight end Dalton Kincaid, who leads with four touchdown receptions, has also been sidelined by a hamstring injury.
The Bills, sitting at 7-4 and 2.5 games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in Week 13. Cooks' addition could provide Josh Allen with a reliable target as Buffalo pushes for a playoff spot.
