Josh Allen has thrown for 300 yards twice in 15 games with Joe Brady as offensive coordinator. One of the reasons is the Buffalo Bills are limited at wide receiver.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane took a step toward remedying that by acquiring five-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. The Bills sent a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick to Cleveland for Cooper and a 2025 sixth-rounder, while releasing receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to make room for Cooper on the roster.
The 30-year-old Cooper has eclipsed 1,000 yards seven times in 10 NFL seasons since being drafted fourth overall by the Raiders in 2015. Cooper is entering the final year of his contract, which the Browns restructured in the offseason and now the Bills are on the hook for less than $1 million for the remainder of the year.
“With the passing game, it’s probably not been as consistent,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ve had some success as well in the passing game, different styles of passes and different concepts. … We want to get (Cooper) in here and get him up to speed on our terminology and our system and see how he fits in. It’s never about one guy.”
Cooper has 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns while averaging a career-low 10.4 yards per catch and dropping a league-high nine of his 53 targets this season. Some of Cooper’s struggles this year may be attributed to a dismal Cleveland offense that ranks last in the NFL in total yards and 30th in the passing offense, while quarterback Deshaun Watson is 32nd in the league with 5.1 yards per attempt.
At 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, Cooper — who played under Bills receivers coach Adam Henry in Dallas in 2020 and 2021 — is a strong route-runner that should provide Allen with a target that can create separation, allowing Allen to make throws on schedule. Cooper now joins a group that has one receiver (Khalil Shakir) with 20 receptions.
Aside from Shakir, who has caught all but one target, the other four receivers the Bills used in the first six games caught just 50.8% of their targets. And aside from a few plays from rookie Keon Coleman, the Bills have been lacking big plays from receivers.
“He’s such a student of the game,” Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said of Cooper. “… He played with (former Saints quarterback) Teddy Bridgewater and Teddy used to always talk about how cerebral he is and how he sees a defense and knows how to attack it. He has a unique skill set.”
The big question with Cooper is whether he can be integrated into the offense quickly enough to make an impact. It is the third season in a row the Bills have acquired a player mid-season via trade and the fourth overall since Beane became GM in 2017, while it’s the seventh total in-season trade he’s made with the Bills.
Cornerback Rasul Douglas was acquired last season and became a starter in his second game with the team. But the Bills traded for running back Nyheim Hines in 2022, tallying six carries for minus-3 yards rushing and five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown in nine games.
The Bills traded for receiver Kelvin Benjamin in 2017 and he caught 16 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in six games while playing another 10 games in 2018 before he was released.
Buffalo is already preparing for the Tennessee Titans Sunday on a short week, so it may not be a quick transition into the Bills’ offense. When asked if Cooper would be in the game plan Sunday, Brady said, “We’ll see.”
“There’s no secret recipe,” Brady said. “… I know a lot of people think it’s just a simple plug-and-play. At the end of the day, you’re throwing and catching, but there’s a lot more to it. Whenever he gets here, we’ll get the ball rolling and hope there’s progression as the season goes.”