5 WRs Bills should pursue after Davante Adams lands with Jets

Davante Adams is no longer an option for the Buffalo Bills, but the team should still be looking for help at wide receiver.

Kyle Silagyi | Oct 15, 2024

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There’s a weird air looming over Western New York on this beautiful fall morning; the Buffalo Bills affirmed their status atop the AFC East with a Week 6 Monday Night Football win over the New York Jets, and yet, it’s the division rival’s fanbase that has a bit of an extra pep in their step as Tuesday kicks off.

That’s because the Jets traded for multi-time All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams on Tuesday morning, shipping a conditional third-round draft pick to the Las Vegas Raiders to reunite the six-time Pro Bowler with the quarterback who helped him achieve national prominence in Aaron Rodgers. Though always a bit of a fantasy given financial hiccups, the Bills were reportedly interested in the 31-year-old pass-catcher, his landing with a division rival meaning Buffalo now needs to broaden its search for additional help in its receiving corps should it feel an injection of talent is necessary.

One could realistically argue that said injection is necessary, as the Bills’ receiving corps—while undoubtedly talented—has been a bit underwhelming over the past few weeks. There are obvious reasons for this (namely Khalil Shakir’s ankle injury), but the team’s wide receivers combined for nine receptions in Week 6, this after reeling in just four total catches on 18 targets in an ugly Week 5 loss. Buffalo’s receiving corps is, by design, a mishmash of versatile weapons on affordable contracts, but it’s clear that the team could use a comparatively alpha option atop the depth chart; though Adams is no longer available, there are still a few weapons the team may be able to acquire ahead of the league’s November 5 trade deadline.

With that, here are five wide receivers the Bills should still pursue with Adams off the market.

Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns

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Amari Cooper is a player that a large portion of the Buffalo faithful identified as their preferred target before Adams was shipped to New Jersey. Fans perhaps forget just how dominant—and young—the former fourth-overall pick is given just how long he’s produced at an elite level; he’s gone for over 1,000 receiving yards in all but two of his nine professional seasons, and he’s still only 30 years old. He’s younger than Adams.

He’s currently stuck on a lifeless Cleveland Browns offense that’s quickly going nowhere with Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator and Deshaun Watson as quarterback, and his skill set is one that would, in theory, mesh well with Buffalo’s offensive scheme. A team acquiring Cooper would only be on the hook for roughly $1 million, per Cover 1’s Greg Tompsett, meaning that the Bills could afford him even given their sticky salary cap situation; of all the options on this list, this seems like the biggest no-brainer.

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

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Courtland Sutton is a bit younger than Cooper and has a different skill set, but he, too, would safely slot in atop the team’s receiving corps. The 6-foot-4 pass-catcher has only topped 1,000 receiving yards once in his six previous professional seasons, but it’s not as though the Denver Broncos have been blessed with elite quarterback play in the recent past. Pairing the 29-year-old with a passer of Josh Allen’s caliber may take his game to a new level; in addition to providing a major boost to Buffalo’s offense, Sutton could also serve as a mentor from whom rookie Keon Coleman could glean on-field elements. He, too, would cost only $1 million for an acquiring team, per Tompsett, meaning that the Bills could financially afford his contract should they deem him a better fit than Cooper.

DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans

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It’d simply be humorous to see DeAndre Hopkins ultimately become a Bill after the multi-month saga that captured the imaginations of Buffalo fans a few years ago. He ultimately signed with the Tennessee Titans, who haven’t accomplished much of anything throughout the multi-time All-Pro’s tenure and have, expectedly, gotten off to a 1-4 start this season; they likely wouldn’t be opposed to moving him, and his contract, while not necessarily easy for a team to inherit, is digestible for a team like Buffalo with some finagling. Now 32 years of age, Hopkins isn’t the player he once was, but he’d still be a beneficial player to add to a receiving corps in need of a spark.

Darius Slayton, New York Giants

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Moving outside of the realm of proven difference makers, Darius Slayton would perhaps be an under-the-radar addition that would quickly prove beneficial on the field. The 27-year-old has never topped 1,000 yards, but he, like Sutton, has not been afforded consistently excellent quarterback play with the New York Giants. Adding him as a boundary option would not only give the Bills’ offense another outside weapon who knows how to get open, but also give the former day-three pick an opportunity to truly break out. He’d cost roughly $2 million to acquire, per Tompsett; given their long-standing working relationship at One Bills Drive, we already know that Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has New York executive Joe Schoen’s number on speed dial. Perhaps he’ll place a call.

John Metchie, Houston Texans

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Houston Texans pass-catcher John Metchie is just a few years removed from being one of the more intriguing pass-catchers in a wide receiver class that included the likes of Drake London, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. A second-round pick of the Texans in the 2022 NFL Draft, Metchie quickly fell down the depth chart in Houston due to a bevy of circumstances outside of his control; he’s only played on 37 offensive snaps this season and has only received one target. This is a player who, just a few years ago, caught 96 passes for over 1,100 yards for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

One could point to Nico Collins recently being placed on injured reserve as indication that Houston wouldn’t move Metchie, but he didn’t even top 40% of the team’s offensive snaps in Collins’ first game on IR; he’s an affordable 24-year-old recent second-round pick who simply needs an opportunity to succeed, and the Bills have the open targets necessary to give him that chance. His acquisition wouldn’t steal headlines, but he could develop into a long-term offensive contributor in Orchard Park if given the opportunity.

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