As the Bills could look to solidify their grip in the AFC East. They might miss out on their newly acquired WR Amari Cooper. Him being limited in practice all week hasn’t helped his case to appear against the Dolphins. Suffering a wrist injury against the Seahawks last week, the Bills WR is questionable going into Sunday’s clash.
Well, he isn’t the only receiver the Bills could miss out on Sunday. Curtis Samuel could also find himself on the sidelines as he gets a questionable tag with a pectoral injury. However, his absence may not hurt the Bills, as he took the fewest snaps before Cooper made the jump from Cleveland.
#Bills coach Sean McDermott said WRs Amari Cooper (wrist) and Curtis Samuel (pec) will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Miami.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 1, 2024
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Prior to Cooper joining the Buffalo, Samuel only recorded 12 catches on 18 targets for 92 yards. But out of those catches, only two of them resulted in first downs for the Bills. The Buffalo team craved an explosive receiver, and they might have gotten one in Cooper. As he recorded four catches for 66 yards out of only five targets against the Seahawks. And to add a cherry on top, the Bills WR finished with one TD that came with his first reception in the end zone.
While the Bills celebrated Cooper’s debut, the 30-year-old was rather down to earth in his approach, “It was just another day at the office at the wide receiver position.” Although Cooper refused to sing his own praises, Bills QB Josh Allen did share his thoughts, “I think being seven years in the league now, just like understanding guys of Cooper’s caliber. They don’t need a lot. They go out there, give him a clear mind, let him go play. That’s what he did out there a couple times. Just finding zones, finding windows.”
And those praises weren’t limited to Allen, as Bills head coach Sean McDermott also joined in, “It’s good to have Cooper here. He made an impact just in four days, really, four teachable, learnable days. And then to come out on day five here and execute like he did was impressive.” Well, it’s true. Before week 7’s clash against the Seahawks, the Bills traded for Amari Cooper on Tuesday.
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Amari Cooper joins the Bills to leave behind the sinking ship in Cleveland
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Are the Bills' playoff hopes in jeopardy with Cooper and Samuel potentially sidelined?
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For bringing a 5-time Pro Bowler, all the Bills had to do was sacrifice their next year’s sixth-round draft and send third-round and seventh-round picks to Cleveland. And in return, they got their hands upon a receiver who was coming off a career-high 1,250 receiving yards last season. However, this season, Cooper’s numbers dropped massively as the whole Browns offense struggled in the NFL. They weren’t able to score more than 20 points for the first six games of the season.
But Cooper was still one of their best players, as he recorded 250 receiving yards with two TDs. He even took to his Instagram stories indicating his desire to make the deal happen, “Move or rust.” Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott was quick to express his excitement about adding Cooper to their roster, “We’re thankful to have him. But it’s never about just one guy. It’s about the team, so we’re anxious to get him on board here and get rolling.”
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Considering the way he started his life in blue, the Bills may have added a gem to their receiver room. But his absence in next week’s clash against the Dolphins could hurt their ambitions to stay on top of their division. So, it remains to be seen whether he would remain questionable or will he have a role to play on Sunday. Guess we will find out soon as divisional rivals take on each other in Buffalo.
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Are the Bills' playoff hopes in jeopardy with Cooper and Samuel potentially sidelined?