ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Brandin Cooks had a smile on his face.
Standing in the indoor fieldhouse at the Buffalo Bills’ practice facility, the veteran wide receiver was asked questions ahead of the team’s wild-card game at the Jacksonville Jaguars, his first playoff game as a Bill.
Does this offense have another gear it just hasn’t found yet?
“Absolutely,” Cooks grinned.
He declined to elaborate, instead saying, “That’s it. You’re not gonna get me.”
Against the Jaguars, the offense put together consecutive fourth-quarter touchdown drives that sealed the game, with help from a Cole Bishop interception. Quarterback Josh Allen willed the Bills down the field despite the running game’s season-worst performance (79 yards) and a wide receiver corps that despite a strong day had struggled to find consistency and underperformed this season.
Cooks played a significant role in the win, including catching a 36-yard pass from Allen to set up the winning score.
The Bills, however, didn’t leave the game unscathed. Instead, they were dealt an onslaught of receiver injuries this past week. Joshua Palmer was placed on injured reserve (IR) before the win against the Jaguars, and both Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers suffered torn ACLs in Jacksonville.
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The Bills have proved that winning games without an obvious No. 1 receiver is feasible with Allen at the helm and heavy usage of their tight ends and running backs, but the question remains about winning the game — Super Bowl LX. In 2024, the offense broke franchise records for points and touchdowns but lost in the AFC Championship Game. There are clear top targets in tight end Dalton Kincaid, who is a difference-maker when he’s healthy, and primary slot receiver and 2022 fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir. Shakir has become Allen’s most reliable and go-to target (he led the team in targets and receptions the past two seasons), but, for context, ranked 30th in receptions (72) and 44th in receiving yards (419).
Since the Bills traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans in March 2024, the wide receiver position, specifically outside receiver, has been a question mark. Acquisitions from the draft and free agency have been limited or unsuccessful. Injuries have posed additional challenges. The lack of a consistent presence at receiver has increased the load on Allen and a running attack led by the league’s leading rusher in James Cook III, which has largely thrived.
But as the Bills go deeper into the playoffs, will Allen’s postseason magic and the current offensive players be enough? Allen’s impeccable playoff production will be tested as three of the six receivers who were on the active roster less than a week ago are no longer available. The Bills will also be up against one of the league’s best defenses in the divisional round as they visit the Denver Broncos on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
As the Bills look to continue their postseason march on the road, where does the receiver group stand and will their offense be enough?
In the past two years, Keon Coleman, 22, for a variety of reasons, has not clicked in this offense. Jason Miller/Getty Images
WHEN THE BILLS traded away their star receiver in Diggs, there was a hole to fill. Despite a down end to the 2023 season, Diggs set a several franchise records during his four seasons with the team.
One investment Buffalo made to bulk up the receiver room in his absence was drafting receiver Keon Coleman, trading back twice to the 33rd pick to do so, the only time general manager Brandon Beane has selected a wide receiver on Day 1 or 2 of the draft. Since 2024, the Bills have drafted two wide receivers — Coleman and 2025 seventh-round pick Kaden Prather, who agreed to an injury settlement in August.
In the past two years, Coleman, 22, for a variety of reasons, has not clicked in Buffalo’s offense. A wrist injury impacted the second half of his rookie season, and Beane expressed disappointment in his performance after his recovery.
“I wish he had finished the season stronger,” Beane said at the end of the 2024 season. “But we had honest, direct conversations with Keon. … His career will not be defined by one season.”
Coleman then started the 2025 season on a promising note after a strong training camp, catching eight passes (from 11 targets) for 112 yards and a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, but the rest of the regular season did not pan out.
He became a hot topic when he was late to a team meeting the Friday before the Bills faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11. The wide receiver was a healthy scratch for the game for disciplinary reasons by coach Greg McDermott.
“Let’s evaluate it at the end of the season where [Coleman’s] at after two years,” Beane said after the Nov. 4 trade deadline. “… We’ll need him down the stretch if we’re going to get where we’re trying to get to.”
Coleman has been a healthy scratch for four games this season and hasn’t had 50 receiving yards in a game since the season opener. McDermott said this week that since his benching, Coleman “looks like he’s understanding a little bit more of what’s required.” Wide receivers coach Adam Henry said he also has seen the impact.
“Adversity is good for anyone,” Henry said. “To go through adversity, that’s where growth comes, that’s where change comes. … Now you get to the core of who you are and what happens. And so, what he’s doing now and taking care of his business, he’s been doing well.”
Coleman said not being on the field has been tough and emphasized he’s ready and focused on making an impact: “I feel like I should have been out there or whatever the case may be, but decisions happen that’s not really up to me, but just a competitor myself, I feel like I could make a play on any given down, any day of the week.”
As Beane alluded to at the trade deadline, Coleman is set for a significant opportunity on Saturday.
Coach Greg McDermott has emphasized the veteran presence Brandin Cooks brings. He also has worked with some of the league’s best quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Drew Brees in the postseason. David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
WITH TWO WEEKS to go in the regular season, the Bills were still figuring out the right combination of receivers to have active on game day, something that McDermott acknowledged was not an ideal situation. The team had 10 different groups of active receivers for game days this season.
“You want to have continuity,” McDermott said. “… That’s what we want, and where we’re at, are right now two different things. That’s just being real with you here. So, but we’re trying to find that in order to get it to here. It’s just, it’s taken longer than we would have liked at this point. But I remain confident in the guys in that room, in the wide receiver room.”
Investments at the position in free agency have largely not panned out for the Bills. The offense under coordinator Joe Brady prioritizes spreading the ball around instead of focusing on one player; no outside receiver has put up big numbers since Brady took over in November 2023.
Receiver Curtis Samuel was signed to a three-year, $24 million deal in 2024 but has played in only 20 regular-season games in two years, catching 38 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns.
Samuel will see his first action since Nov. 16 after he was activated off injured reserve and was a full participant throughout the week.
This season’s biggest free agent addition in Palmer (three years, $36 million) played in only 12 games (22 receptions, 303 yards and zero touchdowns) and dealt with a variety of lower body injuries before going on IR.
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Shakir, who received a four-year contract extension in the offseason, is Allen’s security blanket in the slot (catching all 12 of his targets in the wild-card win at Jacksonville) and a key yards-after-catch contributor. Elijah Moore, now on the Broncos’ practice squad, was waived on Nov. 26 after nine catches in nine games. The ACL injury to Shavers (15 receptions, 245 yards and a touchdown), who played well when given opportunities and was a key blocker for the offense, leaves another hole in the unit. Davis, a 2020 fourth-round pick, was elevated from the practice squad Nov. 11 and appeared in six regular-season games prior to his ACL injury. Mecole Hardman Jr. (four offensive snaps), who was elevated to the active roster for the game, Stephen Gosnell and Kristian Wilkerson are on the practice squad.
Despite the Bills’ best attempts, trading for a receiver at the deadline didn’t come to fruition. The Bills signed Cooks on Nov. 25 after the New Orleans Saints released him. McDermott has emphasized the veteran presence Cooks brings. He also has playoff experience working with some of the league’s best quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Drew Brees but has dropped three passes with the Bills, including the postseason.
“I’m used to that aspect of, like, ‘Hey, if [the quarterbacks] see a certain way and maybe I don’t, well, I got to come up on the same page and figure it out,'” Cooks said. “So definitely great to be able to have that experience in my past.”
The tight ends are a major part of the Bills’ passing offense, which was the intent when they used a first-round pick on Kincaid in 2023. Kincaid’s impact is most like that of the team’s top receiver in that he shifts the offensive production significantly. The offense averages 30.2 points and 384.8 yards per game with Kincaid playing compared with 23 points and 346.8 yards without him.
The issue with Kincaid, whose fifth-year option will be decided this offseason, is his injury history. He has missed five games this season because of injuries after missing four in 2024.
“[Kincaid is a] key cog to our offense and health and ability to be out there, availability for us, it’s huge for us,” McDermott said. “And I don’t think you need to kind of study the numbers long to take note of that.”
Other tight ends with significant roles in the offense are Dawson Knox, who is fourth on the team in receptions (36), and rookie Jackson Hawes, who has a consistent role as a blocker and three receiving touchdowns.
Leaning into the tight ends and running backs could serve Buffalo well against Denver as Allen is first in the league in yards per attempt (8.5) and first downs (88) and second in passing touchdowns (16) when targeting the positions, and the Broncos have given up 12 such touchdowns (tied for 23rd).
The Bills have shown that winning games without an obvious No. 1 receiver is possible with Josh Allen at the helm. David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire
THE TERM “SUPERMAN” has been associated with Allen for a significant portion of his professional career, thanks to his frequently bailing the Bills’ offense out of broken plays or bad situations. This season, that tendency has contributed to Allen holding on to the ball for a long time on sack plays as he searches for any sign of an open receiver downfield. It has also played a role in his sack total going up significantly in 2025 (40 from 14 in 2024).
Being a consistent presence is important to Allen, despite the many injuries he has suffered this season, as he has the longest active regular-season start streak for a quarterback (122).
“I think [the streak is] important to me just because, maybe some little ailments or bumps and bruises that I’ve played through,” Allen said. “I take a lot of pride in being out there for my teammates. I think that’s kind of the main thing is just, I feel like I’ve sacrificed a lot to be on that football field just because I love it so much, and it’s my favorite thing to do is play this game.”
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Although Allen undoubtedly led the way in Jacksonville, it was his offensive line and fullback, Reggie Gilliam, who quite literally helped push him there, along with the receiving group showing up and the defense holding its end of the bargain.
With the injuries around him, in addition to his own, that will be more difficult versus the Broncos.
“Obviously, not an ideal situation,” Allen said. “But I still trust that [wide receiver] room completely. Whoever we bring up needs to step up. And we have full confidence that they will. This week is going to be very important throughout the practices that we have of making sure we get on the same page with timing and just understanding where guys can go. Try to utilize their strengths to the best of their abilities.”
Allen has 14 career playoff starts but hasn’t started a Super Bowl game, the most by any quarterback without a Super Bowl start in the Super Bowl era. He has eight career playoff wins, the most by any quarterback without an appearance in the Super Bowl or a conference championship.
Although Allen can do many things, the support from the team around him will be tested throughout Buffalo’s playoff run.
“My guys come up, they go to work and they take care of their business and that’s all we can do,” Henry said. “Control what we control, and then just put your best foot forward and try to win the day and hopefully we’ll stack days and then now we’re able to win. You can say a lot of things, but we won 13 games.”
