The Buffalo Bills fell to 7-4 with Thursday night’s loss to the Houston Texans. After dominating the AFC East for five straight seasons, Buffalo is suddenly in danger of ceding the division to a resurgent New England Patriots team.
It’s no secret that the Bills’ lack of a true WR1 has hurt the team. And that dynamic was magnified by Dalton Kincaid’s absence on Thursday. After the Week 12 loss, the Bills signed Brandin Cooks, adding the veteran wideout as a depth piece to the team’s questionable receiver corps.
The 32-year-old WR is embracing the opportunity in Buffalo. He hopes to be a leader for the Bills and “at the end of the day, come out here and remind people around this league that I'm still a playmaker,” Cooks said per 13WHAM’s Dan Fetes. “And that’s my expectation. Go out there and make plays. Be the best teammate I can possibly be and let everything else take care of itself.”
Bills turn to Brandin Cooks for offensive spark
A first-round draft pick in 2014, Cooks earned a reputation as one of the league’s fastest wideouts. Asked about his speed in his 12th NFL season, the receiver exuded confidence. “It ain’t left. It hasn’t left, I can tell you that much,” he said.
Cooks signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints over the offseason, embarking on a second stint with the franchise that drafted him. But the Saints waived Cooks after an underwhelming performance with the team. He had 19 receptions for 165 scoreless yards in 10 games with New Orleans this year.
Now he’ll join the Bills' undistinguished group of pass catchers after signing with Buffalo – his sixth different NFL team.
The Bills’ once vaunted offense looked inept against a suffocating Texans defense in Week 12. Josh Allen was sacked eight times on Thursday as an uninspiring receiving corps failed to gain separation in Houston
The Bills have all but given up on second-year WR Keon Coleman, who was a healthy scratch for the second straight week. Now Buffalo will add Cooks to the mix.
The veteran wideout, who last recorded a 1,000-yard season in 2021, is playing with a chip on his shoulder, according to WROC-TV’s Thad Brown. “You hear the whispers,” Cooks said, adding that he believes he can still be an impact player in the league.
