The Buffalo Bills acquired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns in mid-October with the intention of making him one of the pillars of their aerial attack, but through his first three weeks in Orchard Park, his individual production perhaps hasn’t been what some fans anticipated.
This isn’t necessarily unexpected or anyone’s fault, as the 10-year veteran is in the midst of adjusting to a new offensive scheme. He played on only 35% of the team’s offensive snaps in his Week 7 debut before playing on 50% in Week 8, reeling in five passes for 69 yards and one touchdown throughout the two-game stretch. His on-field acclimation has been stunted by a wrist injury he picked up in Week 8, with the ailment keeping him limited in the subsequent week’s practices and on the sideline for Buffalo’s Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Though the development of his rapport with his new pass-catcher hasn’t gone as seamlessly as it would’ve had Cooper not picked up an injury, Bills quarterback Josh Allen feels as though he’s still developing chemistry with the veteran despite the road bump, telling reporters on Wednesday that Cooper is still learning and staying engaged with the offense as he recovers from his ailment.
“Since day one when he stepped in the building, he was ready to go,” 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.”
Cooper was again listed as a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice, though Buffalo only held a walkthrough. His status for the Bills’ Week 10 clash with the Indianapolis Colts remains unclear, as does that of rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman, who picked up a wrist injury of his own in the closing moments of Week 9. Allen is confident in the ability of Buffalo’s offense regardless of which receivers are available to him this Sunday.
“Throughout the course of the season, [injuries are] going to happen, that’s the name of the game,” Allen said. “It’s not if you get hurt, it’s when you get hurt, right? Just dealing with whether we have new guys or, we got to get them moving around a little bit today, that was good to see. Jury is still out, and again, we rock with who we’ve got. We do a good job in our offensive unit meetings in getting guys ready to go, so whatever the case is, we’ll be prepared.”
Being down both Cooper and Coleman would be a significant blow for the Bills, but given that the veteran receiver was a game-time decision last Sunday and is again practicing this week, it looks as though he may be trending toward a return. Allen is confident that he and Cooper will pick up where they left off a few weeks ago whenever the seven-time 1,000-yard wideout is again able to suit up.
