Brandin Cooks’ Arrival and the Bills’ Wide Receiver Shake-Up
Alright, let me walk you through what’s going on with the Buffalo Bills right now, because things have gotten pretty interesting around their wide receiver room — especially with Brandin Cooks stepping in and Keon Coleman fighting for his spot.
So, the Bills have been dealing with a rough stretch on offense, and that has put every skill-position decision under a microscope. Keon Coleman, who was expected to grow into a major role this season, has suddenly found himself on the outside looking in. He’s been a healthy scratch for two straight games, and each game came with a different explanation. The first one was on him — he showed up late to a team meeting, took responsibility for it, and paid the price on game day. The second one, according to head coach Sean McDermott, was tied to the short turnaround before their Thursday night matchup. The staff chose to stick with the same group from the previous week.
Also Read:But now we’re heading into a crucial showdown with the Steelers, and the stakes feel a lot higher for Coleman. This could be a defining moment for his season — maybe even his long-term future in Buffalo. What makes it even more complicated is the timing of the Bills signing Brandin Cooks, who was added to the 53-man roster just as Coleman was trying to claw his way back into the rotation.
Cooks brings name recognition and a long NFL résumé, but the big question is whether he actually moves the needle for Buffalo’s offense. On film this season, he hasn’t looked like a true deep threat anymore. He’s been used more like a decoy — someone to stretch the field horizontally rather than vertically. His targets per route and yards per route run have been near the bottom of the league. Now, some of that might be due to the Saints’ struggles and inconsistent quarterback play, but it’s not as if the Bills have been lighting it up through the air either.
Still, Cooks does offer versatility. He can line up inside or outside, and he knows how to operate within an offense even when he’s not the primary read. That alone might give the Bills a steadier option than Elijah Moore, who was released right after Cooks was signed.
All of this puts Coleman in a tricky position. If the Bills activate Cooks — a 32-year-old newcomer who has only practiced a handful of times — and still keep Coleman inactive, that would say a lot about how the staff views him right now. It would suggest they’re questioning whether he gives them a spark at a time when they desperately need one.
Coleman has talent, no one doubts that. But with roster spots tightening, injuries piling up, and the Bills chasing playoff stability, decisions this week carry real weight. Whether we see him suit up against Pittsburgh or not could tell us exactly where he stands in this team’s plans moving forward.
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