Buffalo Rumblings
The Bills Bills also shed some light on the injury that sidelined the veteran soon after he got to Orchard Park.
The Buffalo Bills decided to beef up their roster midseason and general manager Brandon Beane made a deal with the Cleveland Browns to bring wide receiver Amari Cooper to Orchard Park and pair him with quarterback Josh Allen. Cooper, a five-time Pro Bowler, didn’t have the numbers he’s used to as he transitioned into the new offensive system, and, while he has gone on record saying that didn’t bother him, now general manager Brandon Beane is agreeing with him.
“I do not regret the move,” Beane said in his end of season press conference on Thursday morning.
Beane acknowledged that Cooper didn’t have Pro Bowl numbers this season, only catching 26 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns from Josh Allen. But the Bills GM was also quick to point out the difference that having the veteran receiver in the game made.
“The games that Amari played in, our offense averaged seven-point-something more points a game,” Beane pointed out that the Bills were not going to get away from the ‘Everybody Eats’ mantra simply by adding Cooper but that it took a little bit of pressure off of the other offensive playmakers. “I think [the trade] did help us despite what his ‘personal’ numbers were.”
While the Bills offense didn’t feed any one person the ball over and over – although an argument could be made that James Cook and Khalil Shakir got more than an “even” share – Cooper didn’t have much time to get in sync with his new quarterback. Not only was he only at One Bills Drive three days before donning a Buffalo Bills uniform and taking the field, but he was also only active for two games before an injury sidelined him.
Cooper suffered a wrist injury that saw him miss two weeks. The wide receiver was seen at practices with a hard cast on his wrist, yet he continued to try to find ways to catch a football. Now Beane is saying that Cooper’s determination to be available to his new team is just one more way his leadership was being seen.
During Thursday’s press conference, Beane said that the injury that had Cooper miss three games was much worse than the wide receiver let on. According to the Bills general manager, Cooper’s injury had at least one doctor recommending surgery. However, the veteran chose to fight the pain and play through the injury so that he could be the asset his team was looking for.
Cooper will be a free agent in another few weeks. The questions will be: Was Buffalo impressed enough with what he brought to the offense to attempt to bring him back? And was Cooper truly okay with the lack of opportunities he had in Buffalo and just enjoying the moments on a team that is going to make another run at a championship?
