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Hall of Fame WR likens Bills offense to legendary units following Amari Cooper trade

Former Buffalo Bills wideout Andre Reed likened the team's offense to the units he was once a part of following its acquisition of Amari Cooper.

Kyle Silagyi

Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Andre Reed knows a thing or two about prolific Buffalo Bills offenses.

As the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, there’s perhaps no figure more qualified to speak about catching passes in Orchard Park than the Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s one of the most beloved players in team history, a dynamic wideout who played a crucial role on a Buffalo team that appeared in four consecutive Super Bowls from 1990–1993.

And while Reed was a mainstay on those teams, he was just one of several dominant weapons the Bills trotted out on offense. Fellow receiver James Lofton and NFL MVP running back Thurman Thomas were among the lead contributors on an offense helmed by quarterback Jim Kelly, the unit finishing within the NFL’s top-six in total offense in all four of the Super Bowl-qualifying seasons. It was an immensely productive group the likes of which fans still wax lyrical about today, and Reed, following Buffalo’s recent acquisition of five-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper, sees shades of the team’s offense of old in its contemporary unit.

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

The Bills’ offense, though not unproductive through the first six games of the 2024 season, was in need of help at wide receiver, a top option who could take some of the burden off players like Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman. The acquisition of Cooper gives Buffalo just that; not only does it afford otherworldly signal-caller Josh Allen a seven-time 1,000-yard receiver who is no stranger to receiving over 100 targets in any given season, but it also allows players like Shakir, Coleman, Mack Hollins, and Curtis Samuel to rest into less weighty roles and be placed into more auspicious situations to succeed.

Reed took to X (formerly known as Twitter) Wednesday night to analyze the new-look offense, glowing over the various options the Bills now have in the receiving corps.

He went on to liken the team’s offense to the units he was previously part of, comparing the top options of Cooper, Shakir, Coleman, and running back James Cook to himself, Lofton, and Thomas.

“Who are you going to guard?” he wrote.

Whether Buffalo’s current unit is able to reach the heights of its offenses of old remains to be seen, but it seems like a pretty safe bet. Allen is one of the league’s most dynamic players and has helmed top offensive attacks for much of the recent past; now paired with a perennial Pro Bowler who has done nothing but produce at an elite level throughout his decade in the NFL, it’s, frankly, difficult to imagine anything other than success.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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