Amari Cooper is a cure for what ails the Buffalo Bills passing game

When the Buffalo Bills finalized their 53-man roster for the 2024 regular season, the wide receiver group naturally drew a lot of the attention. Gone was top target Stefon Diggs, who had been traded to the Houston Texans to team up with quarterback CJ Stroud and fellow pass-catchers Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz. Gone was second target Gabe Davis, who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars to help former top overall pick Trevor Lawrence reach his potential. In their place were holdovers Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid, paired with newcomers Curtis Samuel and top draft pick Keon Coleman to round out the top four.

Many debated at the time whether the pass catchers overall were better on September 1st than they were on January 1st. It was all about talent. The phrase “everyone eats” was used to describe the new approach, which is based on matchups and does not focus on a single receiver reaching 150 targets.

But there were two aspects of the Bills group that particularly troubled some observers, including me: verticality and the ability to separate from man coverage. This was a big part of the pre- and post-draft narrative surrounding Coleman, as the Bills selected him at No. 33 overall out of Florida State. He had ball skills and the ability to create after the catch, but his ability to break away from man coverage was a question mark on his profile. He also didn’t prove to be a consistent vertical threat. In short, Coleman didn’t check any of the boxes that gave any part of Bill’s Mafia heartburn.

Immediately after the draft, Buffalo signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the speedy former Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers wide receiver. This addition may have partially alleviated those concerns, but MVS’ work as a very small role player doesn’t give an offense the vertical threat it needs all the time when he’s not on the field all the time. Additionally, Valdes-Scantling didn’t address the Bills’ need to be able to score wins within structure against man coverage without Josh Allen having to crank up the scramble drill.

If Allen or Joe Brady didn’t create separation from the wide receivers (through the magic of pick plays and backfield/bundle geometry), would the Bills be able to simply let a receiver “get a bucket” when the defense played man, and easy to bet? People could beat yours? Additionally, the Bills had several pass-catchers who were considered by many to perform at their best from the slot: Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, and even Keon Coleman were considered by some to be ideal inside players. Where was the real X-Receiver who could be relied upon alone to gain a backside dig route or a 15-yard hook against a number one corner? Would this come back to bite Buffalo?

Those fears, for those who had them, manifested themselves in recent weeks at Buffalo. The Bills continue to have a well-above-average man coverage rate, and Allen seemed increasingly uncomfortable in the structure against man coverage. According to FTN data, over 40% of his pass attempts this season came in man coverage with help from the defender. Only two teams (the Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys) have more. Back-shoulder throws to Coleman were a welcome addition, but defenses are willing to live with that low conversion percentage because they know the numbers will favor them against a large enough sample size.

Enter Amari Cooper.

Coming off the most statistically productive season of his career, Cooper is the Tetromino the Buffalo Bills desperately needed to complete their Tetris. Known as a crafty route runner throughout his career, Cooper also managed a stellar 17.2 yards per reception mark in 2023, and was incredibly productive for the Cleveland Browns last year as Joe Flacco led the franchise to a playoff spot led.

Matt Harmon from Yahoo Sports estimated Cooper with an 83.3% success rate on post routes, an 87.1% success rate on dig routes and a 91.3% success rate on out routes during sample games of the 2023 season in a Browns jersey. For a team that has seen its receivers stranded on the field the last few games, these have to be the best percentages since you found out you made your final college finals.

Additionally, Cooper has played over 78% of his snaps as an outside receiver throughout his career. Offensive plans are a beautiful and wonderful thing. It’s also nice and wonderful when it’s not so necessary and you can just let a player win a route against another player. The Bills got used to it during their time with Stefon Diggs as the WR1 in Buffalo, and they have an opportunity to have a player who can bring that ability to Orchard Park, NY again.

Verticality: check.
Ability to win against man coverage: check.
Pure outside receiver: check.

Sounds like the recipe for what the Buffalo Bills are suffering from in 2024. Predictable? Perhaps. But a late remedy is better than a never one.

It is likely that we will have a similar conversation again in a few months. Cooper is a free agent after this year. Are the Bills paying for a receiver who turns 31 after spending this offseason getting younger and cheaper at key positions? If not, who will do the things I’ve spent most of this article describing?

But these are problems for the future Brandon Beane. For now, Brandon Beane in attendance for the Buffalo Bills has gotten the right medicine for the right problem. So I’ll take one of these and call you in the morning.

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…and so the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan from Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Rumblings Cast Network – For more information, see my LinkTree!