Brandin Cooks hasn't made much of an impact in his first two games with the Bills, but he believes he's ready to make a contribution.
ORCHARD PARK - Brandin Cooks just smiled the other day when he was asked whether he’s a little frustrated that he hasn’t been able to contribute much in his first two games with the Buffalo Bills.
“No man, I’m extremely blessed, I’m thankful for this opportunity, thankful for the Saints for working with me on this,” the 12th-year wide receiver said.
Meaning, he asked the woebegone Saints for his release in the hopes of hooking on with a playoff team, they granted his wish, and with the Bills bringing him in Cooks went from playing out a dreadful slog of a season in the Bayou to chasing a Super Bowl with Buffalo.
“Nothing but great things to say about those guys over there in New Orleans, but to be here now and have this opportunity to play this type of football, I’m definitely fortunate and I look forward to continuing to build,” Cooks said as he gets ready for Sunday’s showdown in New England.
How Bills have used Brandin Cooks so far
Cooks has had just 25 snaps where the Bills were passing and he was in the route tree, and Josh Allen has thrown his way only twice. One was a 13-yard reception at Pittsburgh that resulted in a first down; the other came against the Bengals on which he drew a pass interference penalty. That’s been it.
“Absolutely not (frustrated), and I don’t say that to be, like, politically correct,” he said. “The first game in Pittsburgh, the run attack that we had going on was great. This game, snow game, things happen, whatever the case may be. My mindset is when I have my opportunity, take advantage of it, right? So coming here, working with Josh, working with the offense, learning the playbook, getting up to speed, all that stuff is going to take care of itself, and I really believe that. I truly feel that.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady praised Cooks on Monday for his great attitude, knowing that contrary to what he says, like every wide receiver, he wants to be involved a little more than he has thus far, especially on a team that, in the last two games has gotten just 12 catches for 101 yards combined from its wide receiver corps. For comparison, the NFL’s leading receiver, Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, by himself averages 109.8 yards per game.
“You have to be selfish to be a wide receiver, you got to want the football, it’s in you,” Brady said. “It’s got to be a part of you, but you have to want to win more. I saw B. Cooks up in the lunch room, going and talking to him, the happiest, the smile on his face, and he had one target (in each game). But the buy in from him is, I just want to win football games. Every receiver, I hope they want to get 10 balls a game. I hope they come out of every game being like man, I can do more. But I hope the priority over that is … we won.”
We don’t know if Joshua Palmer can return for this game, but whether he does or doesn’t, Cooks needs to be more of a threat down the stretch. He was signed to add a vertical element to a passing game that sorely needs it.
What Josh Allen says about Brandin Cooks
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” Allen said. “He works his tail off in practice and he’s obviously been around the league for a very long time, and it’s no mistake. You can tell by his habits of why he’s been around the league and played at such a high level for such a long time. He’s been a true professional, he’s always in the wide receiver room, in the playbook, and when we come out to practice he’s friggin’ flying around. So yeah, I feel very, very good and I think comfort is just gonna continue to grow.”
Khalil Shakir, who has been the Bills’ top receiver the past two years, said the addition of Cooks should start paying dividends once he’s fully ingrained, and that day is not far off.
“He fits right in and I think his ability to pick things up super fast and learn our offense as quick as he has, it’s pretty great to see,” Shakir said. “At this point, I don’t even think he’s still learning stuff, I think he has it down. He’s been a great dude to be around, too, just his energy, his vibe. Honestly, his leadership, too, and him being in the league for a while now and just being able to pick his brain on the little things about being a great wide receiver.”
Of course, Shakir, Allen and Brady were saying the same things last season when the Bills acquired wily veteran Amari Cooper. That really didn’t work out in terms of production, and so far, a similar scene is playing out with Cooks, though he still has time to make an impact.
“When those opportunities come, I do believe I can help change the game for the better,” Cooks said. “But I’m just trusting that process, trusting (Brady), trusting Josh. And when we get there, we get there.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 36 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brandin Cooks ready to boost Buffalo Bills' passing attack
Category: General Sports
