The Buffalo Bills bolstered their wide receiver depth Tuesday when they announced they signed Brandin Cooks to the active roster.
Cooks was available because the New Orleans Saints agreed to release him Saturday. He became a free agent after he cleared waivers and joined Josh Allen and the Bills.
Here is how he fits into the team’s wide receiver depth chart.
LWR: Elijah Moore, Tyrell Shavers
RWR: Joshua Palmer, Brandin Cooks, Keon Coleman
Buffalo needing an additional wide receiver is nothing new, and there was no shortage of rumors it would acquire one before the NFL trade deadline earlier this month.
While it didn’t make that high-profile addition before the deadline, this gives the AFC East team another veteran presence for Allen to target in the aerial attack. The timing is also notable since Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch in each of the last two games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans.
Head coach Sean McDermott addressed the situation Friday and told reporters, “I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen in the small window of time since the Tampa game, and we take it one day at a time.
“It’s really about making sure we’re taking the proper steps every day that lead to winning. If you want to win, you got to have winning habits and that’s important. So, we see winning habits, then he’s in the conversation as we move forward every week.”
Given the uncertainty around Coleman, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Cooks play a significant role in the passing game as soon as Sunday’s contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 32-year-old has played for the Saints, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Texans and Dallas Cowboys since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014 and has six seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards on his resume.
His last one came in 2021, though, and he wasn’t nearly as productive in 10 games with the Saints this season with 19 catches for 165 yards and zero touchdowns.
Perhaps a change of scenery and the opportunity to catch passes from one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Allen will help him rediscover his old form in Buffalo.
