Bills May Not Have Room for Former First-Round WR Who Wants Another Chance

Is there even room for wide receiver Brandin Cooks on the Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster?

It's certainly a relevant question to ask considering the soon-to-be 33-year-old Cooks plans to play a 13th NFL season and has told The Athletic's Tim Graham that he is interested in re-joining the Bills, who initially signed him off waivers from the New Orleans Saints late last November.

"Obviously, Buffalo is the place I’d love to be. I want to prove that to them and have a full offseason with them," said Cooks in a July 9 story by Graham. "Both sides are figuring things out. We’ll see, but hopefully something transpires because I love going to training camp. That’s where you build that callus."

The Bills are due to report to training camp at St. John Fisher University on July 28 with the first practice scheduled for July 29.

Jan 11, 2026; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks (18) catches a pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Although Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane mentioned the possibility of post-draft discussions with Cooks back in March, it's unknown how strong the club's interest has been since adding fourth-round wide receiver Skyler Bell.

While the Bills would seemingly find value in Cook's veteran presence, and his ability to stretch the field, there may not be a clear role for the 2014 first-round draft pick heading into training camp.

Bills' potential WR logjam

With DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir essentially locks atop the depth chart, Buffalo has a host of other wide receivers fighting for three, maybe four, roster spots.

Including Moore and Shakir, the 90-man roster has eight wide receivers who have played in a regular season game for the Bills at some point. Then, there's Bell, who is expected to make a strong case for snaps in Year 1.

Simply put, the Bills may find it difficult to award Cooks a spot in the rotation at this point in his career, especially considering the investments they've made in 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman and free agent addition Joshua Palmer, who carries a $14.24 million dead salary cap hit in 2026.

Skyler Bell catch — Oct 26, 2024; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the catch against the Rice Owls the second half at Rentschler Field | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Although neither may be around for the long term, it seems unlikely for Buffalo to cut bait on Coleman or Palmer prior to the regular season. That means five roster spots are already spoken for by Moore, Shakir, Bell, Coleman and Palmer.

The Bills have carried a sixth wide receiver in past years, but that player has almost always doubled as a special teamer hence Tyrell Shavers in 2025. While it's unknown whether Shavers, who is recovering from a torn ACL, will be ready in time for Week 1, Mecole Hardman, Trent Sherfield and Jalen Virgil also bring special teams experience to the table.

Factoring in roster longshots, the Bills have 14 wide receivers on the 90-man roster. Barring an injury to one of the five probable roster locks, it doesn't seem feasible to re-sign Cooks.

Cooks wants redemption

While he did provide a spark to the downfield passing game, Cooks didn't exactly light it up after joining the Bills for the 2025 stretch run. In five regular season games, he totaled five catches for 114 yards on 11 targets.

Over two playoff appearances, he logged five receptions for 78 yards not including the infamous catch-turned-interception against the Denver Broncos in overtime. The play essentially ended the Bills' playoff run and Sean McDermott's tenure as head coach.

Denver Broncos cornerback Ja'quan McMillian reaches in on Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandin Cooks who has the ball and whose knee is on the ground during overtime at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Knowing what could've been had he secured the ball in field goal range, Cooks naturally has a sour taste in his mouth over how it ended.

"For me, the way that my mind operates is, 'OK, what can I do about it?' And what I can do about it is get back on the field, continue to work on being the best that I can be and making sure next time it’s a catch-and-run for a touchdown and leave it in no one else's hands," said Cooks.

He still may get that opportunity with the Bills in 2026, but odds are he'll find a larger role elsewhere.

Current Bills' WRs

DJ Moore

Khalil Shakir

Keon Coleman

Joshua Palmer

Skyler Bell (R)

Mecole Hardman

Trent Sherfield

Jalen Virgil

Tyrell Shavers

Mac Dalena

Stephen Gosnell

Deven Thompkins

Ja'Mori Maclin (R)

Max Tomczak (R)

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