Kirby Jackson Posted July 9 Posted July 9 4 minutes ago, BillyJoeBills said: I'd prefer 30 yr old Deebo Samuel; 72 receptions/5tds in 2025, over soon to be 33 yr old Brandin. Plus, I can't forget Brandin getting bullied by McMillan in OT; that would never happen to Deebo. Deebo is a decent receiver still. The problem is, he is Shakir and Bell. They play a very similar style. Deebo has hovered around 6 yards for an average depth of target. Cooks is around 15 yards. The Bills don’t need more guys to throw screens to. They need someone that can make plays down the field. 4 6 4 Quote
HappyDays Posted July 9 Posted July 9 I'd take him if the corresponding move was trading Palmer. Cook's skill set is more valuable to the room than Palmer's right now IMO. If we can't find a trade partner for Palmer though, I don't see it. Our top 5 is set and if we roster a 6th WR it will be for special teams. 2 1 Quote
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted July 9 Posted July 9 10 minutes ago, BillyJoeBills said: I'd prefer 30 yr old Deebo Samuel; 72 receptions/5tds in 2025, over soon to be 33 yr old Brandin. Plus, I can't forget Brandin getting bullied by McMillan in OT; that would never happen to Deebo. He was a real YAC merchant earlier in his career and just isn't breaking tackles at the same rate. Not sure if he's lost speed, or what. So now you have a player with a relatively high drop rate, high fumble rate, who doesn't seem to offer as much upside as he did in his first couple of years. Also always seems to have muscle issues like calf and hamstring. Beyond that, he's not a particularly valuable boundary WR - and the team has a number of options in the slot. 1 Quote
Einstein's Dog Posted July 9 Posted July 9 1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said: They’re not stunting the growth of anyone. They’re raising the floor. If Bell wins a starting job awesome!! If Coleman develops, fantastic. If Palmer is the guy that they imagined, great. That’s a lot of “ifs.” Brandin Cooks is here too eliminate the downside risk. If those guys are who they have been, he’s better. Cooks is insurance on a room that has lots and lots of question marks. Bill Barnwell basically ranked them as the 29th best WR room in the league. Cooks doesn’t make them a top 10 group or anything. As of today though, there are only 2 WRs better than him on the roster. Bringing in someone ahead of S Bell would block his path to PT. An older vet on a winning team is not easily replaced by a rookie - unless injury, or maybe a large error (although llosing control of the ball in a playoff game isn't enough for some). S Bell already has one of these veterans ahead of him (Palmer), I hope they don't make it even more difficult, unless it is someone who is actually good (I could see Deebo). The "as of today" philosophy could certainly delay the development and PT of Bell. 1 Quote
Shaw66 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 4 hours ago, dave mcbride said: He actually has a very low drop rate over his career. There's a reason he's been with 6 teams in 12 seasons. Every catch is an adventure. 1 1 1 Quote
Kirby Jackson Posted July 9 Posted July 9 (edited) 1 hour ago, Einstein's Dog said: Bringing in someone ahead of S Bell would block his path to PT. An older vet on a winning team is not easily replaced by a rookie - unless injury, or maybe a large error (although llosing control of the ball in a playoff game isn't enough for some). S Bell already has one of these veterans ahead of him (Palmer), I hope they don't make it even more difficult, unless it is someone who is actually good (I could see Deebo). The "as of today" philosophy could certainly delay the development and PT of Bell. Cooks today is a better fit than Deebo (addressed earlier). Ironically, bringing in Deebo would be much more of a road block for Bell. They play the same style (as does Shakir). You want to beat up Cooks for the playoff play but give Deebo a pass? Deebo has a career drop rate of 9.3%. Cooks is 5.6% Deebo’s average depth of target is 6 yards(ish). Cooks is 15 yards(ish). So he catches a higher percentage of balls AND does it further down the field. Deebo fumbles 2.4% of his touches. Cooks has 5 fumbles in his entire career and only one since 2018!! He has 845 career touches. He fumbles at a rate of .59% of plays. Probably not the argument you want to be making here. If we want to talk about reliability, we need to expand our sample size beyond one unfortunate play (that may or may not have been a catch). If anything Cooks is ultra-reliable in terms of holding onto the football. If Bell is the best guy he will play. I advocated for him since last season. He was a great addition to the room. You cannot though have the 29th best WR room (or whatever it is), and not bring in a guy that is one of the 3 best today, because he might play ahead of a 4th round rookie who is currently 4th or 5th on the depth chart. You are in a window of Super Bowl or bust. You currently have a starting boundary spot open opposite Moore. Cooks would be the favorite to win that job. That’s okay. The goal is to be better. Edited July 9 by Kirby Jackson 1 3 Quote
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 20 minutes ago, Shaw66 said: There's a reason he's been with 6 teams in 12 seasons. Every catch is an adventure. NFL should have individual players have sponsors, like NASCAR. "Brandin Cooks, brought to you by Pepto Bismal. When a catch becomes an adventure, GMs trust Pepto Bismal to soothe upset stomachs!" 1 Quote
Logic Posted July 9 Posted July 9 I'd love to have Cooks on the practice squad as a ready-to-go vet fill-in, because injuries always seem to happen at WR. Not sure if Cooks would want that, though. It's possible he has offers from other teams that would get him on a 53. Quote
dollars 2 donuts Posted July 9 Posted July 9 We are one or two...even mid-level injuries to the receivers group away from having the wideouts be suspect or weakened. They like him. He likes us. He's got some skills. Sign him. 1 1 Quote
ColoradoBills Posted July 9 Posted July 9 10 minutes ago, Logic said: I'd love to have Cooks on the practice squad as a ready-to-go vet fill-in, because injuries always seem to happen at WR. Not sure if Cooks would want that, though. It's possible he has offers from other teams that would get him on a 53. Keep him close to signing. Shavers will be going to PUP most likely. There are always WRs getting hurt even before the season starts. I would let camp start and see what the first week or two looks like injury wise. The money allotted for Cooks may be needed elsewhere. I think both sides are going to be patient about a full-time signing. It's a good thing if you ask me. 2 Quote
Don Otreply Posted July 9 Posted July 9 5 hours ago, Shaw66 said: He also will have more drops with more teams than any other player. I seriously hope the Bills do not need him. So tell me without telling me you’re not super enthusiastic, lol 2 Quote
Simon Posted July 9 Posted July 9 1 hour ago, Shaw66 said: There's a reason he's been with 6 teams in 12 seasons. Every catch is an adventure. This is pure bunk 1 2 Quote
Royale with Cheese Posted July 9 Posted July 9 1 hour ago, Shaw66 said: There's a reason he's been with 6 teams in 12 seasons. Every catch is an adventure. It's not. He's been traded but for high prices so he's been a valuable commodity. Traded to the Patriots for a 1st round pick in 2017. Traded to the Rams for a 1st round pick in 2018. Traded to the Texans for a 2nd round pick in 2020. Traded to Dallas for a 5th and 6th in 2023. 1 Quote
Ray Stonada Posted July 9 Posted July 9 “For a week straight, I was watching it over and over,” Cooks told The Athletic. “But I knew, as a father, that I had to put it away. If I’d have kept watching, it would have put me in some type of mood that my wife and my kids didn’t deserve.” Me too. 1 Quote
3rdand12 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 6 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said: The other thing that is really underrated in bringing him back is that Josh trusts him. He threw him the ball 17 times in his last 3 games (Eagles game and 2 playoff games). All of those were important, and close games. Josh looked to him 5.3 times a game. If you extrapolate that over a 17 game schedule that’s 96.3 targets. Shakir led the Bills with 95 targets in 16 games (5.9 targets per game). No one else was even close to that. There is something to be said for where Josh looked in the big games and trust. I don't feel you can evaluate Cooks without taking notice of how he finished the season He and Josh found something that worked Agreed Kirby , it's no small thing Josh is a Trust Guy for sure ! 2 Quote
Shaw66 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 14 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: It's not. He's been traded but for high prices so he's been a valuable commodity. Traded to the Patriots for a 1st round pick in 2017. Traded to the Rams for a 1st round pick in 2018. Traded to the Texans for a 2nd round pick in 2020. Traded to Dallas for a 5th and 6th in 2023. Yeah, and what players who are quality players keep getting traded? He's been passed around like a wet rag, and NO ONE has seen any reason to keep him. He's fool's gold, and we saw it last season. He was a better version of John Brown, but even that version is gone. 1 1 Quote
MikeSpeed Posted July 9 Posted July 9 Cook should join the circus where his juggling act would make him the headliner. At least half of his catches with us came with the ball bouncing around in his hands before he gain control. No thanks! Quote
Augie Posted July 9 Posted July 9 9 minutes ago, Royale with Cheese said: It's not. He's been traded but for high prices so he's been a valuable commodity. Traded to the Patriots for a 1st round pick in 2017. Traded to the Rams for a 1st round pick in 2018. Traded to the Texans for a 2nd round pick in 2020. Traded to Dallas for a 5th and 6th in 2023. Teams trading him have been well compensated because he’s good at what he does - getting open deep. That is a skill that is hard to find. It is also true that every catch is an adventure, at least with the Bills. I remember hearing he was a one trick pony who was only there to get open deep. Nothing wrong with that. Probably some hyperbole on his routes, but were his hands always an issue? Or was he just having a rough season. I haven’t seen the “jump/catch” in a few years. Catching the ball seems to be in his head, which is not a good thing for an NFL WR. Still, we need deep threats so I’m OK if they can make space for him. 1 Quote
3rdand12 Posted July 9 Posted July 9 2 hours ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said: He was a real YAC merchant earlier in his career and just isn't breaking tackles at the same rate. Not sure if he's lost speed, or what. So now you have a player with a relatively high drop rate, high fumble rate, who doesn't seem to offer as much upside as he did in his first couple of years. Also always seems to have muscle issues like calf and hamstring. Beyond that, he's not a particularly valuable boundary WR - and the team has a number of options in the slot. I thought he was exactly that , Boundary outside speed. Not sure I agree about your stats on him so much. But not worth arguing either. Cooks is no world beater now , if he ever was. He is certainly a role player Palmer and Cooks might be in direct competition for that last spot or two hmmm Quote
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