What Bills HC Sean McDermott said about Amari Cooper’s injury ahead of Chiefs clash

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke about what Amari Cooper needs to do in order to return from his wrist injury in Week 11.

Kyle Silagyi | Nov 12, 2024

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There’s been a strange influx of wrist injuries at One Bills Drive over the past several weeks, with numerous key players being either sidelined or placed on injured reserve with ailments to that particular area of the body. What are perhaps the team’s most paramount wrist injuries have surfaced in the receiving corps, as five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper and rookie Keon Coleman are both currently unavailable with wrist ailments.

Coleman picked up his injury in Week 9, missed Week 10, and has already been ruled out for Week 11. Cooper, meanwhile, has not yet received a designation for Buffalo’s Week 11 clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, with head coach Sean McDermott telling reporters on Monday that the 10-year veteran is improving and could suit up for the hotly anticipated bout. The sideline boss spoke about what Cooper needs to do in order to return, telling reporters that managing the pain is a significant factor.

“If I knew… I think some of it is pain tolerance and threshold,” McDermott said. “We’ll just see. I don’t know the medical terms that you’re looking for there. I just get my cues from [head athletic trainer] Nate [Breske] and we go from there.”

Cooper, a seven-time 1,000-yard receiver whom the Bills acquired from the Cleveland Browns in mid-October, injured his wrist while blocking a defender during Buffalo’s Week 8 win over the Seattle Seahawks. It was just Cooper’s second game in a Bills uniform, and he had been impactful up to the point of his injury, catching five passes for 69 yards and one touchdown. Buffalo acquired the former fourth-overall pick in hopes of making him the centerpiece of its aerial attack, but he’s been unable to fully acquaint himself with the offense given his early injury.

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Though he’s been listed as a limited participant in practice in each session since injuring his wrist, he just started taking part in the pass-catching portions of positional drills last Friday. He’s been spotted with a cast on his left wrist.

Cooper will soon have an extended stretch to recover from his ailment, as the Bills have a bye week following their matchup with the Chiefs this Sunday. While his Week 11 availability is still undetermined, getting even a banged-up Cooper back would be a big boost for Buffalo this weekend, especially considering that Coleman has already been ruled out and that second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid may not be able to go after suffering a knee injury in Week 10.

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