Amari Cooper is, for the most part, precisely what the Buffalo Bills required. So the match made sense, even with the Bills offering the Browns a third-rounder and seventh-rounder in exchange for Cooper and a sixth-rounder on Tuesday.
Cooper is a bad male’s Stefon Diggs.
From a agreement viewpoint, it’s rather actual: Cooper is set to make nearly absolutelynothing, simply $870,000 while with the cap-strapped Bills in2024 So while he was pricey in terms of trade/draft settlement, he’s low-cost by the dollar. He’s likewise a border receiver with outstanding method and separation capabilities who can beat both guy and zone protection regularly.
Or — he was. That’s why I stated he’s what the Bills required … for the most part.
If you appearance at the advanced data, you’ll see that the 30-year-old Cooper isn’t as great a gamer as last year. In 2023, he tape-recorded career-bests with 1,250 getting backyards and 259 getting backyards over anticipated, per Next Gen Stats. His YAC over anticipated was 113, the 2nd finest of his profession. His separation was his worst: 2.2 backyards per path targeted. But Cooper didn’t appear to have slowed. If anything, he was mostlikely dealingwith a lot of double protection.
In 2024, it’s simple to see why he’s having one of his worst years: Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is the falling tide that sinks all ships. And so Cooper is recording relatively terrible numbers, with a unfavorable getting EPA (-.85), unfavorable receptions over anticipated (-8.2) and unfavorable getting lawns over anticipated (-174). The numbers are either similar to or evenworse than his novice season.
The Bills requirement to hope that Cooper isn’t decreasing, that those numbers are simply a reflection of Watson. That’s where the danger comes into play for Buffalo. And that’s mostlikely why Cleveland was ready to part methods with the wideout.
But the reality oughtto emerge rapidly. Buffalo will put him right to work.
The Bills offense requires assistance, especially in the passing videogame.
Josh Allen is finishing 62.8% of his passes and is putting up 193.3 lawns per videogame, his worst averages in those classifications consideringthat2019 His success rate (43.3) is likewise the worst it’s been giventhat 2019, per Pro Football Reference. He’s not accumulating the numbers that are normal for him as a passer. Allen has stayed aggressive, with a 7.7% big-time toss portion (highest of his profession) and a 5% turnover-worthy play (second greatest of his profession). He might have absolutelyno interceptions, however he’s fortunate to have that tidy sheet.
The Bills’ strategy without Diggs has not rather panned out. They desired to have a group of gamers who might obstacle defenses — without relying greatly on a single guy. But that concept has progressively deteriorated as no one hasactually gotten open regularly in current weeks.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid was expected to be like Travis Kelce. Receiver Keon Coleman was expected to assistance fill the vacuum on the border that Diggs left behind. Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel each stood to contribute in the passing videogame. Those gamers have not grown into their functions as rapidly as GM Brandon Beane should haveactually anticipated.
That’s the space Cooper requires to fill. Maybe he won’t fruitandvegetables like Diggs, however he requires to get open as the main read with some dependability.
It’s an fascinating mea culpa from Beane.
To some degree, Allen has followed in the steps of Patrick Mahomes for his whole profession. Allen was simply one action behind Mahomes in gettingin the draft, in getting his elite WR, in getting his huge agreement and in losing his elite WR. To a degree, it appeared like the Bills were following the Chiefs’ roadmap to Mahomes’ success. This is the veryfirst significant variance, with the Bills going out of their method to acquire an elite receiver after stating farewell to Diggs.
It’s an crucial recommendation: Allen is not Mahomes. There’s just one Mahomes. Allen requires more aid than he was getting this season, and the Bills were not going to unseat the Chiefs without extra firepower on offense. Rather than watch Allen labor in the passing videogame — and mostlikely take too numerous strikes as a scrambler — the Bills chose to upgrade. They chose to not make things so challenging for their quarterback.
If Watson was the factor for Cooper’s hasahardtime this year (and that’s the most mostlikely description), the Bills may have simply pulled off the ideal plug-and-play trade to fuel a Super Bowl run. And even if Cooper isn’t rather what he assoonas was, the Bills will invest the 3rd round of the 2025 NFL Draft thinking about him.
Prior to signingupwith FOX Sports as an NFL pressreporter and writer, Henry McKenna invested 7 years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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