Henry McKenna
NFL reporter
Amari Cooper is, for probably the most half, precisely what the Buffalo Bills wanted. So the sport made sense, even with the Bills giving the Browns a third-rounder and seventh-rounder in change for Cooper and a sixth-rounder on Tuesday.
Cooper is the poor man’s Stefon Diggs.
From a contractual perspective, it is fairly literal: Cooper is about to make subsequent to nothing, simply $870,000 with the books wanting caps in 2024. So whereas he was costly by way of commerce compensation/promissory be aware, he is low cost in greenback phrases. He can be a fringe receiver with glorious method and separation potential who can constantly beat each man and zone protection.
Or… it was. That’s why I stated that is what the Bills want…for probably the most half.
If you have a look at the superior stats, you may see that the 30-year-old Cooper is not pretty much as good a participant as he was final yr. In 2023, he recorded profession bests with 1,250 receiving yards and 259 receiving yards above anticipated, in response to Next Gen Stats. His YAC past expectations was 113, the second better of his profession. His separation was the worst: 2.2 yards per route focused. But Cooper did not seem to have slowed down. If something, he was most likely going through loads of double protection.
In 2024, it is simple to see why he is having certainly one of his worst years: Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is the ebbing tide that sinks all ships. And so Cooper is posting some fairly terrible numbers, with a damaging receiving EPA (-.85), damaging receptions above anticipated (-8.2), and damaging receiving yards above anticipated (-174). The numbers are similar to or worse than his rookie season.
The Bills should hope that Cooper is not declining, that these numbers are merely a mirrored image of Watson. This is the place the chance is available in for Buffalo. And that is most likely why Cleveland was keen to half methods with the wideout.
But the reality ought to emerge shortly. Buffalo will put him to work straight away.
The Bills offense wants assist, particularly within the passing sport.
Josh Allen is finishing 62.8% of his passes and is accumulating 193.3 yards per sport, his worst common in these classes since 2019. His success charge (43.3) can be the worst since 2019, in response to Pro Football Reference. He’s not placing up the numbers which might be typical for him as a passer. Allen remained aggressive, with a big-time taking pictures share of seven.7% (highest of his profession) and a turnover-worthy sport of 5% (second-highest of his profession). He might not have any interceptions, however he’s fortunate to have a clear sheet.
The Bills’ plan with out Diggs did not fairly work. They wished to have a bunch of gamers that would problem defenses, with out relying an excessive amount of on one man. But that concept has steadily eroded as nobody has managed to open constantly in latest weeks.
Tight finish Dalton Kincaid was imagined to be like Travis Kelce. Receiver Keon Coleman was supposed to assist fill the void on the perimeter that Diggs left behind. Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel every contributed within the passing sport. Those gamers have not grown into their roles as shortly as GM Brandon Beane anticipated.
This is the hole that Cooper should fill. He might not produce like Diggs, however he must open up as a main learn with some reliability.
It’s an fascinating mea culpa from Beane.
To some extent, Allen has adopted in Patrick Mahomes’ footsteps all through his profession. Allen was only one step behind Mahomes in coming into the draft, getting his elite WR, getting his huge contract, and dropping his elite WR. To some extent, it appeared just like the Bills had been following the Chiefs’ roadmap to Mahomes’ success. This is the primary main deviation, with the Bills going all out to amass an elite receiver after saying goodbye to Diggs.
It’s an essential recognition: Allen isn’t Mahomes. There’s just one Mahomes. Allen wants extra assist than he is had this season, and the Bills would not have unseated the Chiefs with out further firepower on offense. Rather than watch Allen battle within the passing sport — and sure take too many hits as a scrambler — the Bills determined to improve. They determined to not make issues so tough for his or her quarterback.
If Watson had been the rationale for Cooper’s struggles this yr (and that is the almost certainly rationalization), the Bills might need merely pulled off the proper plug-and-play commerce to gasoline a Super Bowl run. And despite the fact that Cooper is not what he as soon as was, the Bills will spend the third spherical of the 2025 NFL Draft serious about him.
Before becoming a member of FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years protecting the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
(Want nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, comply with leagues, groups and gamers to obtain a customized e-newsletter day by day.)
Get extra from the National Football League Follow your favorites to get data on video games, information and extra
