Bills Tinker With WR Room Prior to Camp, Choose Jets' Castoff over Brandin Cooks

The Buffalo Bills made a change to their roster at the wide receiver position, but it wasn't necessarily what some were expecting.

With veteran Brandin Cooks still looking for a team, and having expressed interest in returning to Buffalo, the Bills went in a different direction on Tuesday.

Adding a wide receiver who boasts youth and size, Buffalo claimed Quentin Skinner off waivers from the New York Jets.

Creating room for Skinner through a corresponding roster move, the Bills released wide receiver Deven Thompkins a little more than one month after signing him following a successful June minicamp tryout. The 5-foot-8 Thompkins has played in games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Who is Quentin Skinner?

After going undrafted out of Kansas, Skinner signed a rookie contract with the Jets in 2025.

The 6-foot-5 target, who was a four-year contributor for Kansas, impressed during the preseason, totaling a team-leading 114 receiving yards over a three-game span. In the annual exhibition against the New York Giants, Skinner caught all four of his targets for 48 yards and the Jets' lone touchdown.

Failing to survive cutdown day, Skinner landed on the Jets' practice squad. The Jets signed him to the active roster prior to the regular season finale, and he coincidentally made his NFL debut against the Bills in the Highmark Stadium farewell game. Skinner played 16 offensive snaps and made one reception for 10 yards.

New York Jets wide receiver Quentin Skinner (39) pulls down a first down reception against New York Jets safety Malachi Moore (27) during their football game Saturday, August 9, 2025 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Bills' crowded WR room

The Skinner-Thompkins swap leaves the Bills with 14 wide receivers on their 90-man roster. Seven of those players have appeared in the game for Buffalo at some point, and that's not including veteran DJ Moore or fourth-round rookie Skyler Bell.

With the Bills likely to keep no more than six wide receivers, potentially seven in a rare scenario, Skinner is unquestionably a roster long shot.

DJ Moore

Khalil Shakir

Keon Coleman

Joshua Palmer

Skyler Bell (R)

Mecole Hardman

Trent Sherfield

Jalen Virgil

Tyrell Shavers

Mac Dalena

Stephen Gosnell

Quentin Skinner

Ja'Mori Maclin (R)

Max Tomczak (R)

Door closed on Brandin Cooks?

If it's open, it's only open a crack.

"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 to The Athletic's Tim 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."

While the player has interest, the team may not have enough room at this point. The plethora of pass-catchers, especially those with game experience, may force the Bills to shy away from a Cooks reunion. The 32-year-old could find it difficult to carve out a role on the 2026 roster.

The Bills veterans report to St. John Fisher University on July 28 for training camp. Practice begins on July 29.

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

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