The Baltimore Ravens are hurting at wide receiver.
Pro Bowler Zay Flowers (hamstring) could miss Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. Rookie starter Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist) is on the injured reserve after undergoing surgery following a Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
It means they’re having to think outside the box.
“The Ravens worked out veteran WR Brandin Cooks today, per the league’s transaction wire,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “No signing for Brandin Cooks right now, I’m told, but he’s an option for the Ravens moving forward.”
“Ravens not immediately signing Brandin Cooks, per a league source,” NFL reporter Aaron Wilson wrote on his official X account. “High on their ready list, though.”
“Ravens had WR Brandin Cooks in for a tryout,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote on X. “Cooks, 32, totaled 24 catches last season with the Saints and Bills. He was a first-round pick in 2014.”
Brandin Cooks Played for 2 Teams in 2025
Cooks played for the Bills for only part of the 2025 regular season and the playoffs after being released by the New Orleans Saints in November.
He’ll always be remembered for 1 of the most controversial plays in franchise history — getting the ball wrestled away from him by Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian for an interception in overtime of an AFC Divisional Round loss.
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Drafted in the 1st round (No. 20 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Saints, Cooks has a staggering $125 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025 season — despite never making a Pro Bowl or earning NFL All-Pro honors.
Dominant Decade for WR Brandin Cooks
If you’re wondering how Cooks has made that much money without any postseason accolades, it’s kind of hard to explain. On paper, he definitely should have made at least 1 Pro Bowl.
In 7 seasons from 2015 to 2021, Cooks had 6 seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards, and probably the most incredible stat above that is that he did so for 4 different teams — the Saints, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and New England Patriots.
Ravens Work Out $125 Million WR & Former 1st-Round Pick Amid Rash of Injuries