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Hall of Fame WR believes Amari Cooper is 'the antithesis' of former Bills star

Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin looked at the dichotomy between new Buffalo Bills receiver Amari Cooper and former wideout Stefon Diggs.

Anthony Miller

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Plenty of pundits will draw comparisons between former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and new lead wideout Amari Cooper after the team acquired the latter receiver from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday afternoon. It's a natural comparison; the Bills parted ways with Diggs in the offseason in hopes of replacing his production in the aggregate only to quickly realize the benefits of a true No. 1 target.

Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin mentioned the comparison during Tuesday's edition of FS1's Speak, talking about the impact that Cooper will have on the offense before deducing that he may be a better fit than Diggs was given the current state of the Bills' roster and organization.

“The first thing I thought about was, and I thought it was a great situation for Josh Allen at this time and this year, because Josh has taken over this team," Irvin said. "This is Josh’s team. You talked about that before and now you bring in a receiver like Amari Cooper. Amari Cooper can still play football. I told you guys a couple of weeks ago when I saw him in Cleveland, he was done with Cleveland. I sat right here and said ‘I saw a slant route where he looked back and said I ain’t catching that.' You know he was done with Cleveland. So, moving him now gives him an opportunity to get going again. “

Cooper joins the Bills at a time when the team has been taking a lot of heat over the lack of production from their wide receivers. Things have not been smooth for Cooper in Cleveland either, as the Browns have gotten off to a 1-5 start. The generally productive veteran had caught 24 passes for 250 yards thus far in a lifeless Browns offense helmed by coordinator Ken Dorsey and quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Related: ESPN analyst says Bills are again a true AFC contender after Amari Cooper trade

Besides the seven 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl selections, Cooper brings a different dynamic to the receivers that the team is looking for. Irvin broke down the type of person and player Cooper is, examining the dichotomy between him and Diggs.

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“I think it's interesting that this is such the antithesis when you talk about Stefon Diggs," Irvin said. "Personality-wise, he's the absolute opposite. This is a quiet guy who’s going to be in the locker room just playing chess with people. He really loves to play chess. So he’s not going to be loud. He’s not going to cause any stir. You know when the game pressure is on the line, he’s not going to be like [Keyshawn Johnson] or Stefon Diggs, demanding the man throw the ball to y’all no matter what. That’s what’s different.”

The unceremonious divorce between Diggs and the Bills caused the fanbase pain over the offseason, as his departure left a glaring void in the receiving corps. Cooper quells some of those concerns, adding a veteran presence and proven separator to a lineup in desperate need of both of those attributes. The Bills’ passing attack gets the boost it needs to inch closer to Super Bowl contention.

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Anthony Miller
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