ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills provided Josh Allen and their inconsistent passing attack yet another veteran option by signing free agent wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Tuesday.
Cooks joins the Bills after the New Orleans Saints granted the player’s wish by waiving him last week. And his signing comes two weeks after Buffalo added veteran wideout Mecole Hardman, who landed on injured reserve because of a calf injury sustained in his Bills debut.
Cooks is in his 12th NFL season and brings a downfield threat element to a Bills passing game that has experienced difficulty pushing the ball deep this season. His signing also represents another indication of Bills general manager Brandon Beane not being content with his receivers after backing them for much of the season.
Buffalo (7-4) has dropped four of seven following a 23-19 loss at Houston on Thursday. And the five-time defending AFC East champions now trail division-leading New England (10-2) by 2 1/2 games, with the Patriots already owning a win against Buffalo this season.
Buffalo travels to play Pittsburgh (6-5) on Sunday.
Cooks has topped 1,000 yards receiving six times, the most recent in 2021 with Houston. He’s still remained productive by combining for 11 touchdowns during his two seasons in Dallas in 2023 and ’24.
At 32, Cooks was in his second stint with the Saints and requested his release after seeing limited playing time. He had 19 catches for 165 yards in 10 games on the NFL’s 26th-ranked offense.
Selected by New Orleans in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Oregon State, Cooks spent his first three NFL seasons with the Saints, and has also played for New England and the Los Angeles Rams. Overall, he has 729 catches for 9,697 yards and 60 touchdowns.
In Buffalo, he joins a wide receiver group that’s been knocked for having difficulty getting open, and has been beset by injuries and discipline issues.
The Bills top threat, tight end Dalton Kincaid, has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Meantime, second-year receiver Keon Coleman has been a healthy scratch the past two outings for showing up late for a team meeting.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
