While it was huge news that the Buffalo Bills traded for wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, the thought from fans is when he will make his debut. Though the Bills were originally “undecided” if Cooper would play, it's being reported by NFL insider Jordan Schultz that he is expected to play Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
Cooper no doubt goes to a better situation with the Bills, coming from the Browns who has been struggling under the leadership of quarterback Deshaun Watson. He now joins forces with star quarterback Josh Allen who is in the midst of another exceptional season throwing for 1,160 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions while having 178 yards on the ground.
Bills' Amari Cooper on new quarterback Josh Allen
The 30-year old wide receiver would say in his first press conference with the Buffalo media that he has always appreciated the way Allen plays and also is realistic on expectations for the start of his stint.
“As far as the way he plays, I mean, it’s phenomenal,” Cooper said per New York Upstate. “Every time I turn on the television and watch him play. He plays with a lot of grit; a lot of hustle. He plays hard, and obviously he’s been one of the top quarterbacks in the game for a while now. So just to be able to play with him and experience that in person is going to be real cool.”
“I just got here,” Cooper continued. “So I don’t really have an expectation right now that I can chalk up to being realistic until I go through the week. If I had to answer the question, the expectation would just be to take full advantage of my opportunities. That’s it. I don’t know what opportunities I would be blessed with for Sunday, but whatever it is, just take full advantage of it.”
Bills' Josh Allen on Amari Cooper getting acclimated with the team
The original concern of Cooper's availability for Sunday's game against the Titans was largely understandable since he's going from one team to the other with limited practice time to build some sort of chemistry with Allen. Plus, Cooper will have to get down the playbook and the “verbiage” that the Bills use which could very well be different compared to the offense conducted in Cleveland.
“It’s not the easiest thing, just based on verbiage and terminology and what system he was in before this,” Allen said via Matt Parrino of New York Upstate. “And our system is not the easiest to learn. But again, the things that I’ve heard about him and know about him, he’s a very smart guy. He’s going to work extremely hard, and he’s going to figure this out.”
Buffalo gets a boost in offense with Cooper now that he is expected to play Sunday though it should be inevitable that the usage isn't too sizable. Time will tell as Buffalo look to be 5-2 and strengthen their position in the AFC East.
