TL;DR
- Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers need wide receiver help after trade deadline failures.
- Brandin Cooks, recently released, is a potential option for both the Bills and Steelers.
- Steelers have superior waiver priority, increasing their chances of claiming Cooks.
- Both teams have precarious wide receiver situations and should consider acquiring Cooks.
The Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers are still in need of more help at the wide receiver position.
Both teams were reportedly in the market for one ahead of the trade deadline, but neither Buffalo nor Pittsburgh acquired a wide receiver.
Pittsburgh's wide receiver depth remains a concern, with Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson not yet emerging as dependable targets for DK Metcalf. The signing of Marquez Valdes-Scantling also fails to adequately address this need.
Keon Coleman is reportedly going to be benched for The Bills for the second consecutive game in Week 12, while Joshua Palmer has been a significant letdown. Despite the additions of Gabe Davis and Mecole Hardman, neither player is assured of providing the impact Buffalo requires.
Brandin Cooks, a former New Orleans Saints wide receiver recently released by his team, is now a potential option for both the Steelers and the Bills.
AllSportsPeople' Vinnie Iyer believes the Bills and Steelers are the best landing spots for Cooks.
"Josh Allen is short on wide receivers and his weapons are getting thinner with second-year man Keon Coleman being unreliable and field-stretching tight end Dalton Kincaid hamstrung," Iyer said of the Bills. "Cooks would be a natural fit to deliver in a variety of situations with big-play pop and open-field after-catch skills. He would fare well in Joe Brady's offense, given Brady's ties to Sean Payton and the Saints."
"Aaron Rodgers is seeing DK Metcalf get tight coverage and between options such as Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, there's little else at wide receiver, forcing the team to get deeper with tight ends in the passing games," Iyer said of the Steelers. "Cooks would be a good solution to boost the No. 2 depth chart with his savvy to get open for Rodgers (or Mason Rudolph) in key situations all over the field, playing well off the attention Metcalf gets."
With all players cut heading to waivers annually, Cooks must be claimed. The Steelers possess a superior waiver priority compared to the Bills, thus increasing their likelihood of securing him.
Cooks isn't the same player he once was and has been on the decline for a few years now, but Buffalo and Pittsburgh are in such a precarious spot at wide receiver that they should still take a swing on him.
This experienced receiver has accumulated only 165 receiving yards over 10 games this season, yet it's logical to assume he might perform better in Buffalo or Pittsburgh, as both locations feature a significantly superior quarterback situation compared to New Orleans.
It's probable that additional teams might show interest beyond the Bills and Steelers, but it's certainly conceivable that Cooks could end up with one of those two franchises.
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