ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Whether it was catching passes from Drew Brees as a rookie in New Orleans, or teaming up with Buffalo’s Josh Allen 11 years later, wide receiver Brandin Cooks has stuck to a tried and tested method in building a quarterback's trust.
The key, Cooks said on Tuesday, is deferring to the quarterback’s direction and preferences when running any given route, rather than the other way around.
The approach has served him well over
a career in which Cooks is now on his seventh stop, including two in New Orleans; has topped 1,000 yards receiving six times; and played with Tom Brady in New England, Dak Prescott in Dallas and Jared Goff with the Rams.
“Josh is very similar. There’s a way that your quarterback wants it,” Cooks said. “So I’m used to the aspect of like, hey, if they see it a certain way and maybe I don’t, well, I’ve got to come up on the same page and figure it out.”
The quicker the better for the 32-year-old who has already established a rapport with Allen in the seven weeks since landing in Buffalo.
And Cooks’ emerging role in the Bills’ passing game will take on even greater emphasis on Saturday, when Buffalo travels to play the AFC’s top-seeded Denver Broncos in a divisional round playoff matchup.
Not only has the speedster provided Buffalo a downfield option the offense had been lacking, the team heads to Denver depleted at the position.
Cooks, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman are the only three healthy receivers on Buffalo's active roster after Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers injured their knees in a 27-24 wild-card playoff win at Jacksonville on Sunday. And that came a day after the Bills placed Joshua Palmer on injured reserve.
“Obviously not an ideal situation. But I still trust that room completely,” Allen said.
And that's especially true of Cooks.
“You don’t stay around the league as long as he has without being athletically gifted,” Allen said. “He’s a very good football player. We communicate extremely well.”
It was apparent in a 13-12 loss to Philadelphia three weeks ago, when Cooks had four catches for 101 yards — the 25th 100-yard outing of his career, and first in two years.
The two were at it again on Sunday at Jacksonville, where Cooks helped set up the go-ahead touchdown.
Trailing by four, and facing first-and-10 at the Buffalo 44, Cooks ran up the left sideline, cut in toward the middle to find space in the Jaguars coverage and made a 36-yard catch just before the two-minute warning. Allen scored on a 1-yard run a minute later.
“He’s showed up huge for us the last few games,” Allen said, noting the two worked on the play in practice last week. “For him to go out there and execute the way he did is pretty awesome.”
For coach Sean McDermott, Cooks’ catch showed how the receiver combines speed and intuitiveness.
“Instincts, that to me is the game of football. It’s not track, it’s not a 40-yard dash, weightlifting,” McDermott said. “And usually when you bring in good football players, you have a chance.”
Including Sunday, Cooks has eight catches — seven for first downs — for 172 yards in six games with Buffalo. He’s already surpassed his yardage total of 165 in 10 games to open the season in his second stint with New Orleans.
Cooks, who also spent three seasons in Houston, believed he had much more to offer than being a bit player with the Saints. He was granted his request to be cut on Nov. 19 and signed with Buffalo six days later.
“He’s added a level to our offense that at times this year we didn’t have,” coordinator Joe Brady said. “We’re grateful that we were able to get him on our football team.”
Cook has no reason to look back at how his days ended in New Orleans. He’s instead focused on the present, and the opportunity to make his third career Super Bowl appearance after losing the past two — in the 2017 season with New England and a year later with the Rams.
“I’m so in the moment right now,” Cooks said. “I’m blessed to be able to play in January. And I’m focused on the task at hand.”
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