Hours after the Buffalo Bills made a head-scratching signing to the practice squad, they made one that might move the needle.
The Bills announced Tuesday they signed defensive end Shaq Lawson to the practice squad for his third stint with the franchise. And they signed veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks to the active roster.
Lawson was the last first-round pick taken by the Bills before coach Sean McDermott arrived. He logged 25 tackles for a loss and 16 ½ sacks in four seasons with the Bills from 2016-2019, spent two seasons split between the Dolphins and Jets before returning to Buffalo for two seasons in 2022, notching 4 ½ sacks and eight tackles for a loss.
The 31-year-old played one game for the Carolina Panthers last season before being released from the practice squad on Oct. 22, 2024. Lawson did not attend training camp with another team this year.
Lawson is the 22nd player — eighth this season — to be reunited with the Bills under McDermott and the fourth player to have more than one. The Bills have been hit hard by injuries at defensive end, losing Michael Hoecht and Landon Jackson to injured reserve, leading them to play defensive tackle T.J. Sanders on the edge on early downs the last two games.
For a team needing a jolt in its downfield passing game, Cooks is the ideal player to sign. The 32-year-old has six 1,000-yard seasons and has averaged 13.3 yards per catch in 12 years.
Cooks, a 2014 first-round pick of the Saints, has seen his average decline over the last four seasons and post a career-low 8.7 yards per catch in 10 games this year for the Saints before being waived Nov. 19.
Despite his 729 receptions for 9,697 yards and 60 touchdowns, Cooks is on his sixth team and has been traded four times. He signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Saints in March.