Subscribe
Follow Us
The Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns made a big move on Tuesday as the Browns sent star wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Bills in exchange for draft compensation. With the move, Buffalo secured a No. 1 target for Josh Allen after they lost Stefon Diggs this offseason, and the Browns begin the process of waving the white flag this season.
The Bills also received a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Browns in the deal, and Cleveland got a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-rounder. This move follows another rocky performance for the Bills' offense where their pass catchers struggled to generate consistent separation in a 23-20 win over the New York Jets on Monday night. The Browns are in the midst of a season that is getting away from them quickly after another deflating loss to fall to 1-5.
The Cooper trade is the second massive wide receiver domino to fall on Tuesday after the Jets acquired Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bills add No. 1 receiver to bolster passing game
It can't be overstated how big this deal is for the Bills. Cooper may not be at the level of the best of the best wideouts in the NFL, but he's still an elite route runner who can make plays at all three levels of the field. He gives the Bills offense a separator who can beat man coverage, which is something that they were desperately missing.
In Buffalo's two losses this season, its opponents challenged their receivers to win on the outside, and they couldn't do it. Josh Allen and the offense struggled mightily against man coverage against the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, but that becomes much tougher to do now with Cooper in the fold.
We've seen in the past what Allen can do when he has a go-to guy on the outside. The loss of Stefon Diggs, for all of the issues that he and the Bills had by the end of their pairing, has been felt, and he took Allen to a different level in the passing game. Cooper has a chance to have the same effect. Cooper must be excited to join the Bills as well, moving away from the dismal and inept passing game in Cleveland. He has had some drops, but 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games is not nearly enough production for his skill level.
Cooper's contract is another bonus on top of this deal for the Bills. The Browns converted most of Cooper's salary this year to a signing bonus before the season started, which means that the Bills now owe Cooper less than $1 million for the rest of this season.
There is the risk of this being a rental for the Bills, as Cooper's contract is up at the end of this season. If that ends up being the case, then the draft compensation is steep for just 11 games plus the playoffs. However, if everything works out as it should, Cooper should sign an extension with the Bills, and he fills their biggest weakness at the start of this season.
Bills grade: A
Browns make necessary move in the middle of lost season
The Amari Cooper trade is an official signal of something that just about everyone watching the Browns this season already knew. This season is over. Cleveland is 1-5, Deshaun Watson is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL right now, and he can't be benched because of his massive contract. By all indications, the Browns are ready to ride the Watson train all the way to the end of the tracks in 11 weeks when the train crashes and everyone loses their job.
While it is a complete surrender on this season, the move to get off of Cooper is a sound one by the front office. There was no indication that Cooper wanted to be in Cleveland past this season, so moving his expiring contract for a day two draft pick is good business. However, it's little consolation for the depths of despair that they are staring down moving forward.
In the short term, head coach Kevin Stefanski and Watson will try to work with Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore as their top wideouts with David Njoku in line for more targets at tight end.
The Browns won't have very many avenues of acquiring talent outside of the NFL Draft in the coming seasons due to Watson's contract, so any picks that they can scoop up are helpful. Getting a third-rounder for a player who they would likely lose for nothing this offseason is a solid deal, especially after Adams went for a third that could become a second earlier in the day.
Browns grade: B-
