Bills finally sign a wide receiver (and it's the most disappointing one imaginable)

The Buffalo Bills are 7-4 through the first 12 weeks of the 2025 NFL Season, but they are looking up at the New England Patriots, who are now 10-2 and well ahead of Buffalo. The Bills lost to the Patriots earlier this year and have a ton of work to do to win the AFC East.

One area where Buffalo has struggled this year is really the entire defense. They've dealt with injuries and also, simply, bad play overall. It's clear now that GM Brandon Beane may not have done as good a job with this roster as we originally thought, as it's largely average outside of the players like Josh Allen, Dion Dawkins, and a few others.

And perhaps their biggest area of struggle this year has been the WR room. Keon Coleman has had a rocky start to his NFL career, and there are simply no other consistent, go-to playmakers. Khalil Shakir is good in his role, and Josh Palmer is functional, but that's about it. It's gotten to the point that the Bills are signing veteran receivers who are being cut in-season by losing teams...

The Buffalo Bills just signed WR Brandin Cooks

On Tuesday, news broke that the Buffalo Bills would be signing veteran WR Brandin Cooks, who was recently released by the New Orleans Saints:

Brandin Cooks is 32 years old and is in his 12th year in the NFL. He was drafted all the way back in 2014 by Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints. The Buffalo Bills would stand to be his sixth NFL team, as he's been traded numerous times. Unfortunately, though, Cooks doesn't appear to be much of a player at this point.

In 10 games with the Saints this year, he caught 19 passes for 165 yards, but as recently as 2023 with the Dallas Cowboys, he had 657 yards and eight touchdowns. If nothing else, Cooks is reliable and has played 168 regular season games in the NFL. He's not going to consistently take the top off of defenses like he used to, but, if nothing else, this gives the Bills' offense a much-needed boost.

But, in reality, it's not much of a boost at all. What does it say about the WR room that the Bills need to sign an over-the-hill, 32-year-old veteran approaching Week 13? Only time will tell if Cooks can help the Bills, but this signing is both welcome and a bit ridiculous.