Bills Central

Bills make room for Amari Cooper by dumping disappointing Super Bowl champ

The Buffalo Bills are moving on from a two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver.

Ralph Ventre

Bills wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling pulls in a pass and races upfield during route drills.
Bills wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling pulls in a pass and races upfield during route drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The casual NFL fan probably didn't even realize that Marquez Valdes-Scantling was still on the Buffalo Bills' roster six weeks into the season.

After being a non-factor since arriving as a free-agent signing this spring, the wide receiver's days with the Bills are now history. Needing a roster spot to accommodate Tuesday's trade for Amari Cooper, Buffalo has released Valdes-Scantling according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.

Valdes-Scantling accounted for only two receptions on nine targets in the Bills' offense. He was on the field for 39 percent of the unit's snaps but failed to provide a vertical threat in the passing game. The former Green Bay Packers' fifth-round draft pick has not made a reception in any of Buffalo's last three games. Josh Allen did not target him at all during the Week 6 road win over the New York Jets.

The decision to move of from Valdes-Scantling was likely an easy one, considering the veteran offers no value on special teams. He showed little ability to separate and was a non-threat in the intermediate passing window.

Valdes-Scantling spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. He made a touchdown catch in Super Bowl LVIII, capping an underwhelming season. In 16 regular season games last year, Valdes-Scantling caught 21 of 42 targets for 315 yards and one touchdown.

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The Bills signed Valdes-Scantling to a one-year contract during OTAs. He survived a crowded position battle to win a spot on the 53-man roster but never managed to elevate above the WR5 slot.

While Valdes-Scantling never gained more than 690 receiving yards in a season, Buffalo's new addition has been one of the NFL's most-productive pass-catchers over the past decade. Cooper has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark seven times since entering the league as the No. 4 overall draft pick in 2015.

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Ralph Ventre
RALPH VENTRE