It took them a while, but the Buffalo Bills finally have their WR1.
Conversely, the Cleveland Browns may have waived the white flag this season already.
The Bills traded a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick to get Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick.
Now, the former Las Vegas Raiders star is ready to get a clean slate in the state of New York:
“It’s just that feeling of having a fresh beginning, a new start, a blank canvas that you get to control your destiny, you know?” Cooper told ESPN.
Cooper’s numbers have been far from impressive this season.
He’s logged just 24 grabs for 250 yards and a couple of touchdowns, struggling with drops.
Then again, it might be just a case of a player who failed to get on the same page with his quarterback and who could benefit mightily from a change of scenery.
Cooper went to bed with a 1-5 record and woke up 4-2, and he’ll give the Bills the bonafide and proven route-runner they’ve been missing since parting ways with Stefon Diggs earlier in the offseason.
Even if he’s not the alpha receiver he used to be until not so long ago, his presence, ability to create separation, and route-running skills should still be able to open up the field for Joe Brady’s offense.
Josh Allen will also be a significant upgrade at quarterback, and it will be the first time in his career that he actually gets to catch passes from a legitimate star at the position.
The Browns, on the other hand, are most likely going to go through the motions and mail this season in to focus on the upcoming NFL Draft.
