The “Everybody Eats” offensive motto in Buffalo was nice while it lasted, but it was perhaps unrealistic to think Bills general manager Brandon Beane wouldn’t try to improve his young, mixed roster after letting go of so much talent in the offseason.
The boost on offense comes from receiver Amari Cooper, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs 211 pounds. He was acquired from Cleveland on Tuesday.
At 30 years old, Cooper has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in seven of his last nine seasons, making him a strong addition to a passing game led by Josh Allen that has relied on mostly lesser-known players.
His arrival could help the four-time defending AFC East champion Bills (4-2) strengthen their position in a weak division after their 23-20 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night.
Beane has changed his approach after a major offseason cleanup. Since Cooper is in the last year of his contract, the GM didn’t compromise the team’s future salary cap space, which he was eager to protect by cutting ties with six of Buffalo’s eight team captains, including receiver Stefon Diggs.
The need for an additional target for Allen became clear when Buffalo’s receivers struggled to create separation, leading to Allen mostly throwing short and intermediate passes.
This was especially noticeable in a 23-20 loss to Houston two weeks ago, where Allen had three straight incompletions in the final 32 seconds from his own end zone, allowing Houston to set up a game-winning 59-yard field goal.
The offensive issues continued on Monday, as they only scored three points and made seven first downs in the second half. Allen’s longest completion was a 42-yard pass to running back Ray Davis while scrambling.
Aside from a 263-yard passing game in a 47-10 win against Jacksonville in Week 3, Allen has been under 250 yards five times and under 200 yards three times.
While the Bills have aimed to create a more balanced offense with a focus on the run, their lack of a deep threat allowed defenses to tighten up near the line of scrimmage.
This wasn’t a problem when Diggs and former free-agent Gabe Davis were on the field, as Allen had over 4,000 passing yards in each of the last four seasons.
Moving to Buffalo should help Cooper, who often seemed unhappy in his third year with Cleveland due to a lack of chemistry with quarterback Deshaun Watson. The usually reliable Cooper had several drops, resulting in only 24 catches on 53 targets.
Beane also responded to a rival in the division by making the trade just hours after the Jets enhanced their offense by acquiring Davante Adams from Las Vegas, reuniting him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
