To say that the Buffalo Bills are ‘one piece away’ from Super Bowl contention would be a bit ignorant, as to quote general manager Brandon Beane, a team is “never . . . one player away.”
It would also be ignorant to suggest that the addition of a No. 1 wide receiver would not move Buffalo closer to its ultimate goal.
The Bills offense struggled at times throughout the 2019 season, its 330.2 average yards-per-game besting the total of just eight other teams – none of whom qualified for the postseason. Many attributed Buffalo’s offensive woes to its lack of a bonafide No. 1 wideout, a player who the team could count on to consistently move the ball.
Given its need for a clear-cut offensive centerpiece and its reported $82 million in salary-cap space, numerous analysts expect Buffalo to make a run at a superstar wide receiver this offseason.
Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt would love to see the team land the best pass-catcher on the market.
“There was a sense last year in the middle of the season, as the Bills were surging, that at the trade deadline, they might make that killer move to get [them] over the top, [a] beat New England move,” Brant said. “They didn’t make it. I want Amari Cooper in Buffalo. I want him bad. You know a little bit about his personality, it’s a little unique. The market’s a little unique. He’s not the guy who needs the bright lights, necessarily.
“He and Josh Allen running bombs up and down the field. This is the empire move, as Heisenberg would say. This is the ‘The Patriots are washed up move. The Jets aren’t going to be the thing, this is our division move.’ I would love to see a big, bold, dynamic splash by Buffalo, who doesn’t always make a lot. They do have the money. They have John Brown, they have Josh Allen, they have a running back, they have everything. I want a superstar, and I think No. 19 in Buffalo would be awesome.”
On paper, a potential Cooper-Bills marriage makes sense. Cooper is perhaps exactly what Buffalo’s offense is in need of – a big-play threat who can line up on the boundary. He’s useful in the short-to-intermediate passing game and is also reliable on deep passes down the field – he would immediately become the most talented player in the Bills’ receiving corps.
The 24-year-old is coming off a career-year with the Dallas Cowboys in which he caught 79 passes for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a high-volume player for Dallas, leading the team in targets with 119.
Despite Cooper’s success, there are a few red flags. He’s struggled with drops throughout the entirety of his career, a label he’s yet to shed. He dropped eight passes throughout the 2019 campaign – the sixth-highest total in the NFL.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle in getting Cooper to ink a deal with Buffalo is his perceived unwillingness to play in the market. While speaking to The Athletic’s Tim Graham at this year’s Pro Bowl, Cooper winced at the idea of signing with the Bills despite their wealth of cap space.
“Location, location, location,” he said.”You might be a guy like me, who is from South Florida and has never played a game in the snow. Is it worth $1 million more a year or $2 million more a year, especially if you’ve been taking care of your money? Is it worth that to be in an environment you don’t want to be in? Or would you rather stay somewhere in the South?”
It looks as though Buffalo’s notorious weather will prevent Cooper from signing a long-term deal with the Bills, no matter how many orders of chicken wings or cases of Labatt Blue you leave at his door.
Despite Cooper’s past comments, setting up a visit with the four-time Pro Bowler, should he hit the open market, certainly wouldn’t be a bad decision on behalf of the Bills’ brass. He’s a young, potentially dynamic wide receiver who would round out the team’s offensive attack.
If Buffalo has the money necessary to sign him, well, it may as well try.
"I want Amari Cooper in Buffalo. The Bills have everything, but I want to see them get a superstar."@KyleBrandt | @GMFB pic.twitter.com/CDYjzWQblX
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) March 3, 2020
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