Instant analysis of Bills' acquisition of WR Amari Cooper

Here's our instant analysis of the Buffalo Bills' acquisition of five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper.

David Faux | Oct 15, 2024

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Never one to be outdone by a divisional foe, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane one-upped the New York Jets’ Tuesday acquisition of former All-Pro wideout Davante Adams by acquiring a multi-time Pro Bowl pass-catcher of his own, striking a deal to bring Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper across Lake Erie and to One Bills Drive. The moves of both New York and Buffalo come after a Monday Night Football clash in which both teams struggled to move the ball consistently through the air, something that’s been a constant of both teams throughout the entire season. These teams both felt the need to make a move now and try to resuscitate their respective passing attacks.

It was an obvious move for the Jets. Adams wanted out of Las Vegas and their messy offense, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers loves hanging out with his friends. Whether it's Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, or even former offensive coordinator Nate Hackett, it's a collective of Mr. Rodgers' friends trying their best to make the Jets relevant. This move for Adams makes much more sense than any other previous move for this offense, however, as Adams is still a tough receiver to cover and certainly has an understanding of what Rodgers asks of his receivers.

Over in Orchard Park, there had been a clear need at wide receiver since the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. The Bills came into the season with the theory that spreading the ball out to as many receivers as possible would fill Diggs' void in the aggregate. They retained Khalil Shakir on his rookie contract, signed Curtis Samuel as a free agent, brought in Mack Hollins as a depth player, and drafted Keon Coleman from Florida State in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, when none of those receivers are consistently getting open, it makes the "everyone eats" philosophy feel a bit like famine rather than feast.

This trade changes the entire dynamic of the Bills passing attack, specifically the roles that those previous receivers were in before.

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Before this trade, the only players consistently finding themselves open were Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Shakir has been stellar when thrown to, but Kincaid hasn't quite reached his full potential like Buffalo was expecting him to in 2024. When Coleman was drafted, it was with the caveat that he was a raw player with a talented skill set and would need time to grow and develop into the role the Bills wanted him to play. With Samuel, it's been tricky for the team to integrate him into the offense as just a regular part of the passing attack. Monday's game against the Jets was actually his best game as a receiver with the Bills.

Adding Cooper allows the Bills to essentially bump everyone down into roles that fit them better. Coleman gets to be someone who doesn't have to win against tight coverage 100% of the time, as Cooper has the skills, hands, and route-running chops to break open against anyone. Shakir gets to thrive even more in the slot, and Samuel can play more of a flex role as he can find his way on the boundary, in the slot, or even out of the backfield. As for Cooper, this has to be some of the best news he's received in his career. The moribund Cleveland Browns, with Deshaun Watson running the offense and holding the entire franchise hostage with his gargantuan, Scrooge McDuck-esque contract, have been absolutely abysmal since his acquisition. He's been so bad that Cooper essentially earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2023 by virtue of a nearly 40-year-old Joe Flacco coming off the couch to throw passes for the Browns for half a season.

As far as compensation goes, the aforementioned Diggs trade is critical to this, as it means the Bills have multiple second-round picks in 2025. This made the asking price of a third-round pick for Cooper all the easier to pay. In addition, the Bills sent a seventh-round pick in 2026 and received a 2025 sixth-round pick packaged with Cooper.

Was this move made in response to the Jets making the Adams trade? Probably not. In all likelihood after the disastrous Sunday night debacle against the Baltimore Ravens, the Bills saw the problem at hand and went to work to figure something out. Trades like these don't happen overnight, even if it sometimes feels like it does. It takes time to figure out what's going to work, and it ultimately requires two people to agree on the same terms. It's not easy, but Brandon Beane and the Bills found a way to get a deal done and improve their team in a tremendous way.

Not bad for a Victory Tuesday afternoon.

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