Bulls sign WR Brandin Cooks to active roster

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills provided Josh Allen and their inconsistent passing attack with another veteran option by signing free agent wide receiver Brandon Cooks on Tuesday.

Cooks joined the Bills when 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 McCall Hardman, who landed on injured reserve because of a calf injury in his Bills debut.

Cooks is in his 12th NFL season and brings an element of downfield threat to a Bills passing game that has struggled to get the ball deep this season. His signing also represents another indication of Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s dissatisfaction with his receivers after backing them for most of the season.

Buffalo (7-4) has dropped four of seven following Thursday’s 23-19 loss at Houston. 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 winning against Buffalo this season.

Buffalo travels to play Pittsburgh (6-5) on Sunday.

Cooks has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving six times, most recently in 2021 with Houston. He was still productive, 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 has struggled to get open, and has been plagued by injuries and disciplinary issues.

The Bulls’ top threat, tight end Dalton Kincaid, has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, second-year receiver Keon Coleman has been a healthy scratch in the last two outings to show up late for team meetings.