Bills WR Amari Cooper limited at Wednesday's practice with wrist injury

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice with a wrist injury.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Update: Amari Cooper did participate during Wednesday's practice despite initially being ruled out by head coach Sean McDermott. He was listed as a limited participant on the Wednesday injury report. The rest of the article is presented as originally published

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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper will miss Wednesday’s practice with a wrist injury, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters before the start of the session. The sideline boss said that the team is taking the ailment one day at a time.

Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowler whom the Bills acquired from the Cleveland Browns midway through October, played on 50% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps in its Week 8 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks, an increase from 35% in his Week 7 Bills debut. He fell to the turf midway through the contest with what was believed to be a stinger, but he did not miss any snaps; the veteran finished the game with one catch on two targets for three yards.

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The temporary loss of Cooper would be a significant one for Buffalo’s offense not necessarily in terms of his individual production (he’s caught five passes for 69 yards and one score in two games with the Bills), but because his presence opens up opportunities for the Bills’ additional wideouts. Defenses have to account for the seven-time 1,000-yard receiver whenever he’s on the field which, thus, creates space for Buffalo’s other receivers; this idea has shown up in the box score over the past two weeks particularly with regard to rookie Keon Coleman, who caught four passes for 125 yards in Week 7 before catching five balls for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. Khalil Shakir was another benefactor in Week 8, reeling in nine passes for 107 yards; both Coleman and Shakir obviously deserve their own flowers for their play, but the presence of Cooper likely isn’t coincidental in their respective breakouts.

Cooper has never had a documented wrist injury throughout his 10-year professional career, indicating this isn’t a chronic issue. His status throughout the rest of the week’s practice sessions will be something to closely monitor.

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