Bills' Economical Draft Pick Likely Pushes Free Agent WR Brandin Cooks Out Door

It wasn't the only way for the Buffalo Bills to fill the hole, but it was inarguably the most economical one.

The Bills came out of the main free agency period still needing another wide receiver with the ability to stretch the field. Buffalo apparently satisfied that need by selecting Connecticut wide receiver Skyler Bell at No. 125 overall in the NFL Draft.

In the meantime, veteran free agent Brandin Cooks may have just lost his opportunity to potentially re-sign with the Bills.

We wrote about the mutual wait-and-see approach by both sides prior to the draft, which wound up providing Buffalo with a chance to find a younger replacement for Cooks.

Bell, who boasts a superb athletic profile, has similar size to the 32-year-old Cooks, and he projects as the downfield threat that the unsigned veteran became down the stretch last season.

Nov 1, 2025; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the catch and runs for a touchdown against the UAB Blazers | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Although the 5-foot-11 Bell doesn't have ideal height for a boundary receiver, his speed allows him to win on the outside where he did so often in college. After making 101 catches in 13 games last year for UConn, he tested exceptionally well at the NFL Combine. Bell's 9.83 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) ranks in the top 1.7 percent of WR prospects since 1987.

While Cooks, who has 9,811 career receiving yards, was serviceable in 2025, Bell essentially gives the Bills a younger option with much higher longterm upside. The rookie is seemingly in line to challenge returnees Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer for WR3 reps.

After spending a fourth-round pick on Bell, the Bills announced the signing of three undrafted rookie free agents. That bumps the number of wide receivers to 13 on the 90-man roster.

The financials

While Bell is one of the four drafted rookies who have yet to officially sign with the Bills, his compensation, for the most part, is already determined by the NFL's rookie wage scale.

Spotrac estimates that as the No. 125 overall selection, Bell will receive a four-year contract worth $5.34 million. His rookie season salary lands in the $1.33 million ballpark.

Meanwhile, Cooks, who has 12 seasons of service time, can earn no less than the $1.3 million NFL veteran minimum. In other words, Cooks is guaranteed to make just as much as Bell, if not more.

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'quan McMillian and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks both go up for the ball during overtime at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rather than commit that salary cap space to Cooks, the Bills are using it for a potential budding playmaker under contractual control through 2029. It just makes sense.

With that said, should no other team sign him, Cooks could always return to Buffalo down the road, especially if multiple injuries arise. It's what the Bills did when bringing back Cole Beasley during the midst of the 2022 season.

Bills' WR corps

DJ Moore

Khalil Shakir

Joshua Palmer

Keon Coleman

Skyler Bell (R)

Mecole Hardman

Trent Sherfield

Jalen Virgil

Tyrell Shavers

Stephen Gosnell

Gabriel Benyard (R)

Ja'Mori Maclin (R)

Max Tomczak (R)

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