Bills have something special brewing on offense following addition of WR Amari Cooper
It’s important not to place too much stock into small sample sizes, but the early returns from the Buffalo Bills’ offense following their acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper are incredibly promising.
The team scored 34 points in their Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans, their first time posting over 30 points in a single game since their Week 3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Josh Allen completed 64% of his passes for 323 yards in the game, his first time topping that plateau this season, as the team totaled 389 yards of offense. What was perhaps the most encouraging part of the game was the efficiency with which Allen spread the ball out amongst his weapons; Cooper is the most prominent talking point, but the entire receiving corps played well.
Cooper dropped his only target in the first half, a bit of a letdown right off the bat. The Bills got him involved in the offense in the second half, however, and he more than redeemed himself, catching four passes on five targets for 66 receiving yards and a touchdown. Once Cooper further learns the playbook and becomes more acclimated to the offense, what could transpire might be magical.
Related: WATCH: Bills QB Josh Allen turns into Amari Cooper fan boy after first TD connection
Not to be outdone, rookie Keon Coleman had the first 100-plus yard receiving day of his young career, and there figure to be many more. Coleman was targeted seven times, turning that into four receptions and 125 yards, including a long of 57. Coleman appears to be adjusting to the professional level, and the addition of Cooper and his ten years of NFL experience is a huge bonus for Coleman and Khalil Shakir.
Speaking of Shakir, he also had a season-high, pulling in all seven of his targets for seven receptions and 65 yards. The trio combined for 15 receptions, 256 yards. and a touchdown. This stellar group outing came in Cooper's first game with the Bills; he just arrived in town a few days before kickoff, and he's already paying huge dividends.
The Week 7 performance of Buffalo’s receiving corps suggests that the unit and, thus, general Bills offense is on its way to again becoming one of the NFL’s upper-echelon groups. Cooper will become more comfortable with the offense and Allen's fastball in the coming weeks. Coleman will continue to develop and now he has the aid of a long-time veteran to learn the nuances of route-running. Shakir will continue to be ever-reliable and with Cooper on board, he'll have more room to work underneath. This passing offense should revolve around these three, and when you throw in Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, and Ray Davis, the Bills' offense has the potential to be elite.
— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —