The Washington Commanders are still hunting for help at wide receiver, and the list of realistic options keeps getting shorter. One name that could fit the bill is Brandin Cooks.
Cooks is set to turn 33 in September, which makes him a far cry from the most electric answer Washington could dream up. But the Commanders are in a spot where upside has to take a back seat to availability and proven production. Cooks showed he still had something left late last season in a short run with the Buffalo Bills, even if the clock is clearly ticking on a long NFL career that has already stretched more than a decade.
There is at least one wrinkle here: Cooks recently said that "Buffalo is the place [he'd] love to be," via Tim Graham of The Athletic. At the same time, he also said he wants to sign with a team before training camp, which leaves the door open for Washington to make a move.
What makes Cooks interesting for the Commanders is how he handled a tough situation in Buffalo. The Bills were battered at receiver, and when they needed someone to stabilize the group, Cooks became the last man standing. He joined them in November as a late-season free-agent pickup and quickly gave Josh Allen a dependable target.
The bigger point is that he did it without much time to absorb the offense. Buffalo was chasing AFC East supremacy, playoff positioning and then win-or-go-home games, and Cooks was thrown right into that pressure cooker. That’s exactly why he stands out as a possible fit for Jayden Daniels, who could use more weapons and a full summer of reps with whoever lines up around him.
From Week 17 through the 2025 Divisional Round, 61 wide receivers saw at least 10 targets, Cooks included. During that stretch, he tied for first in average depth of target at 23.5 yards, finished fourth in yards per reception at 19.9, ranked 10th in yards per route run at 2.56 and came in 11th in receiving yards with 179.
He also sat out Buffalo’s meaningless Week 18 finale, which makes those numbers even more notable. In just three games, he gave the Bills more than Washington has gotten from some of its other wideout options behind Terry McLaurin.
That’s the real issue for the Commanders. Luke McCaffrey, a 2024 third-round pick, and Jaylin Lane, a 2025 fourth-rounder, haven’t delivered the kind of impact the team hoped for.
Rookie Antonio Williams has generated buzz, but for now it remains more idea than reality. And no defensive coordinator is losing sleep over a veteran group that includes Dyami Brown, Van Jefferson and Treylon Burks.
In Other News...
Commanders May Already Have Their Answer Opposite Terry McLaurin
The Commanders spent a premium draft pick on a receiver who could change the look of their passing game almost immediately, and Antonio Williams already has the kind of profile that makes people around the league take notice. With Terry McLaurin still the centerpiece, Washington needed someone who could help lighten the load on the other side, and Williams arrives with enough buzz to make that conversation feel real before training camp even starts.
What happens next will matter just as much as the draft-night decision. If Williams shows he can handle the speed and physicality of the pro game right away, Washington may not feel much urgency to keep shopping for another veteran wideout, but if the transition proves bumpy, the team could be back in the market sooner than expected. For now, the Commanders at least have a promising answer in-house, and the summer will tell them how firm that answer really is. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Front Office Shakeup Just Added A New Twist
The Commanders personnel department is getting another reset, with veteran NFL executive Scott Fitterer leaving after two seasons in Washington. The move comes as the franchise continues to shape the front office around general manager Adam Peters, and it adds another layer to a group that has already been busy trying to build a more stable operation behind the scenes.
In his place, Washington has brought in former Vikings assistant GM Demitrius Washington as a senior personnel executive, giving the organization another experienced evaluator to lean on. The hire also reconnects him with Peters from their time together in San Francisco, a familiar tie that could matter as the Commanders keep refining how they identify and stack talent. [Read more 🡒]