Should the reunion happen?
One of the positions that Bills fans should not be worried about is wide receiver, and general manager Brandon Beane made that very clear this past week when he delivered some heavy commentary on his thoughts about people saying that the Bills need help at receiver. Beane recently talked about how the Bills averaged over 30 points per game without any true number one receiver last season and to his credit, he is right.
At the same time, the Bills, just like any other team in the league, could use an upgrade in their wide receiver room. This offseason, the Bills have signed Joshua Palmer and Laviska Shenault, as well as drafted Maryland wide receiver Kaden Prather.
In addition, the Bills also extended Khalil Shakir to a four-year deal. So now, the Bills have a handful of receivers who are on multi-year contracts. Last season, the Bills decided to take a swing in the middle of the season by trading for Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. Right now, Cooper remains unsigned. Should the Bills consider a reunion with Cooper?
Bills and Amari Cooper listed as perfect pairing post-NFL Draft
Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report ranked the best landing spots for the top ten remaining free agents. Both Amari Cooper and Rasul Douglas were on Knox’s list, but it was Cooper who was listed as the perfect fit for the Bills. On the other hand, Douglas’ ideal spots were listed with the Bengals and Dolphins.
“Like [Keenan] Allen, Cooper would be a strong option for teams that want to pair a young quarterback with a veteran pass-catcher. A return to Buffalo, which didn’t draft a receiver before taking Kaden Prather in Round 7, could also make sense.”Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
The Bills acquired Cooper in the middle of the season and he had his flashes for sure, but he wasn’t anything special. Then again, to come in the middle of the season, you can’t really expect a player to immediately make an impact. Especially when you look at the fact that Cooper was traded to the Bills on a Tuesday and suited up five days later for the Bills.
Many people thought maybe, just maybe, the Bills would bring Cooper back and give him a full offseason with the Bills to learn the playbook and get more comfortable with the offense. Instead, the Bills have gone in different directions with free agency and the draft. Just this past week, the Bills brought in Cooper’s former teammate in WR Elijah Moore on a free agent visit.
At this point, it would be absolutely surprising to see Cooper come back to the Bills simply due to the moves that the Bills made this offseason, which includes the signing of Elijah Moore yesterday. While having Cooper obviously wouldn’t hurt the Bills, last season proved that they don’t need him so unless he is willing to take a cheap contract, Cooper isn’t coming back to Buffalo.