How Bills used Brandin Cooks in Buffalo debut for recently cut Saints WR originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Buffalo Bills had a familiar number at wide receiver on Sunday, but it was a new guy in the uniform.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrandin Cooks made his Bills debut as part of the 26-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was donning No. 18, which belonged to the recently released Elijah Moore. Cooks came over from the New Orleans Saints after they cut him, and the Bills had him active right away.
Buffalo mostly leaned on its run game on Sunday. James Cook had 144 yards, and the Bills totaled 249 on the ground, the most by a road team in Pittsburgh since 1975 (which was also done by the Bills).
That left little for Cooks to do, but he was out there.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWhat did Brandin Cooks do in his Bills debut?
The stat sheet shows just one contribution for Cooks: a 13-yard catch.
That was his only target, too.
Cooks ended up playing 17 snaps.
That was fifth-most among Bills WRs. The others: Tyrell Shavers 45, Gabe Davis 43, Khalil Shakir 36, Keon Coleman 33.
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Cooks, a smaller player still learning the playbook, wouldn't have made much sense as a run blocker. That's part of why Shavers led the crew in snaps. He kept blocking, and Buffalo kept gaining yards.
In the next few weeks, it's safe to expect Cooks' usage to increase at least a bit. The Bills want to figure out what they've got in their newest receiver.
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