Now that we’re full-on into the playoffs, it’s time to stop looking in the rearview with our Secret Superstars series, and start looking forward to the next game with Postseason X-Factors. The principle is the same — using game tape and metrics to uncover those hidden gems for every team who are primed to bring their best when their franchises need it the most.
The Buffalo Bills have quite the depleted receiver corps right now, and though Josh Allen has other ways to make plays, somebody from that
group would be well-served to step up against the Denver Broncos’ rabid defense on Sunday. The guy to watch is veteran Brandin Cooks, who has already developed a mind-meld with his quarterback.
Nobody reading this fine site right now is under any illusion regarding the state of the Bills’ receiver group right now. Joshua Palmer (ankle) didn’t even make it to Buffalo’s Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and both Gabe Davis (ACL) and Tyrell Shavers (ACL) didn’t survive the contest.
So now, with a top-tier Denver Broncos defense lying in wait, and with this as a road game for the Bills, there are exactly three active receivers on the roster:
— Keon Coleman, whose unfortunate status as a repeated healthy scratch this season tells you all you need to know about how well that’s going;
— Khalil Shakir, Buffalo’s most productive target in the 2025 season, who does most of his damage from the slot; and…
— Veteran Brandin Cooks, who the Bills signed on November 25 to a one-year, $1.255 million contract with no guaranteed money three days after the New Orleans Saints flat-out released him.
Overall, Cooks’ stat lines aren’t that impressive for Buffalo — eight catches on 16 targets for 172 yards — but if you dig beyond that to what happened against the Jaguars, and how the relationship between Cooks and Josh Allen has developed, it’s entirely possible that Cooks could be primed for a big game at the most important time.
Josh Allen can’t say enough good things about the 12-year veteran.
“Yeah, I mean, he showed up huge for us the last few games,” Allen said Tuesday of Cooks’ impact. “A true vet’s vet. He just continues to work hard. You see him, he’s one of the last guys out here. He’s always in the weight room, always in the training room. He’s a great teammate to have, and we love having him.
“You don’t stay around in this league for as long as he has with just being athletically gifted. He’s a very smart football player. We communicate extremely well. He takes information from me, and I take information from him.”
Cooks is more than happy with how things have gone so far.
“I think at the end of the day is, as a receiver, you just want to do whatever you can that your quarterback wants. Right? And so, [Allen] sees it in a certain way. And then, we go out there and practice it. That’s what practice is all about. From the moment I got here until now, every single day we just continue to sharpen that blade. And I’m definitely blessed to be able to have him as a quarterback.“
The best example of this improved chemistry came w9th 2:27 left in the Jaguars game, and it may have been the Bills Play of the Year to date in terms of importance. With the Bills down 24-20 at their own 44-yard line, Buffalo dialed up a two-level backside concept with Shavers running the out route from the slot, and Cooks going straight vertical outside. Shavers’ route pulled Jacksonville’s Cover-4 defense down to that side, Cooks had a free run, and he did a great job of adjusting to Allen’s throw on what became a skinny post, whether that was the intention or not.
Five plays and a couple of tush-pushes later, the Bills were advancing on a comeback. And as Allen said, this was not the original idea.
“That’s something that we put in, I guess the check that we put in, we put in three or four days before the game, and for him to go out there and execute it the way he did, it’s pretty awesome. But, again, that’s a reason why he’s been around in this league for so long.”
Maybe Allen was thinking about a similar play for a 36-yard gain against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. Here, Cooks and Shakir were in a tight twins alignment on the left side, and Shakir ran an in-route to Philly’s Cover-6, but the principle was similar. Shakir brought enough attention from the defense to give Cooks the vertical clearance, and there was that same last-second turn at the end of the route before the catch.
No, the Bills do not have the advantage with their targets against Denver’s defensive backs per se. But nobody at One Bills Drive is into excuses right now.
“This week is going to be very important throughout the practices that we have, and making sure that we’re getting on the same page with timing, and just understanding where guys can go and try to utilize their strengths to the best of our abilities,” Allen concluded. “But I’ve got no doubt that whoever’s going to be up in those spots is going to do their job, step up, and help us win, or help us make plays.”
Don’t be surprised if this is the breakout time for Brandin Cooks.
