11/25/25 05:56:00
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11/25 16:35 CST Bills provide QB Josh Allen another veteran option by signing
receiver Brandin Cooks
Bills provide QB Josh Allen another veteran option by signing receiver Brandin
Cooks
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
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.
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