The Buffalo Bills Are Giving Amari Cooper What He’s Always Deserved
Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The 2015 NFL Draft was solid, yet unremarkable. The first three picks, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, and Dante Fowler Jr., have all had varying degrees of success. The fourth overall pick, who has bounced around the league since being drafted, has been a statistical monster since being drafted, and his new home in Buffalo may be giving him a chance to finally experience postseason success.
Amari Cooper is going from one of the WORST offenses to one of the BEST offenses…
Still a stud wide receiver who is healthy and will elevate this Bills offense tremendously.
Josh Allen and Amari Cooper get massive boost.pic.twitter.com/EUyF4HLF5A
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) October 16, 2024
Amari Cooper has been a top tier receiver for the Raiders, Cowboys, and Browns since he entered the league in 2015. He’s been among the most productive receivers in the NFL over the last decade, but his time on the aforementioned three franchises, who consistently find ways to trip over themselves, has included a lack of postseason success.
On those offenses, he’s been the guy that those quarterbacks have had to lean on. In particular, he led the NFL in targets prior to being traded from Cleveland and, when healthy, Deshaun Watson frequently force fed him the ball.
However, Buffalo has given Cooper a new lease on his career. He’s a part of a deep receiver corps that was able to support Josh Allen en route to five straight wins. Cooper has only seen five targets in his last two games with the Bills, but by no means does that mean he’s underperforming. If anything, it just means he’s able to play a complementary role on a balanced offense that was able to succeed despite missing Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid.
“This is the first time in like a long time that I’ve actually felt joy from winning this game, Cooper said. “From just the way we played, from having so many guys on the team who are playmakers, and they come up and they show up when their number is called. Collectively as a group, it’s just amazing. It’s kind of a different place, too, Buffalo, compared to some of the other places I’ve been to. It’s a tight-knit group I would say. A lot of the guys go out together. They hang around each other 24/7, and it truly shows up on the field. It truly does.”
This also isn’t to say that Cooper won’t have his games where he heavily contributes. It’s exactly why they brought him to Buffalo to begin with. IIItt’s simply. to say he’s a part of a deep and evenly matched pass catching unit that has the luxury of being able to divvy up targets while still occasionally allowing Amari Cooper to have Amari Cooper games. He’s also a part of an offense with Josh Allen at the helm, and Allen has shown time and time again that he’s more than capable of winning games all by himself.
“The Josh Allen experience, with this magnitude — it’s been phenomenal, man,” Cooper said. “Like I said before, he’s a great player. The old adage, big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Cooper’s elation is no surprise. After spending the majority of his NFL career carrying offenses on his back, he can now step back and be more of a role player on a team that has not lost since his arrival in Buffalo.
“Since day one when he stepped in the building, he was ready to go,” Josh Allen said. “He’s only continued to learn the playbook and learn his role in this offense. Whether we get him back this week or the next or whenever that case is, I know he’s going to be ready to go. It’ll be kind of plug-and-play and feel pretty seamless out there.”
With the Bills arguably being the top team in the AFC, Cooper finally has an opportunity to make a postseason run that has eluded him throughout his entire career. He’ll still have his statistical explosions, and with Cooper being a mere 160 yards shy of a career total of 10,000, those productive games would be more than welcome. However, Josh Allen has more than his fair share of capable receivers to choose from. Not only does that make the Josh Allen experience a pleasant one for Cooper, but it will make his overall Buffalo Bills experience a fruitful endeavor.
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