Amari Cooper is no stranger towards being a trade deadline acquisition in the past. The last time Cooper was a deadline acquisition, the five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was one of the best in football when he arrived with his new team.
Cooper was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys midway during the 2018 season, finishing with 53 catches for 725 yards and six touchdowns (13.7 yards per catch) in his nine games with the team. Dallas won the NFC East title and a playoff game thanks to Cooper's impact, setting the stage for a productive run in Dallas.
The Buffalo Bills are hoping for a similar impact with Cooper, who immediately becomes the No. 1 wide receiver in Buffalo and the much-needed leader of the young group. NFL on CBS analyst Tiki Barber, who is the color commentator for Cooper's first game with the Bills Sunday (when they face the Tennessee Titans), isn't sure Cooper will have the Cowboys-like impact form six years ago.
"He will have an impact," Barber told CBS Sports Thursday. "I don't know how big it will be early on with Josh Allen and that different system they are likely going to be running. You know, for sure a guy who gets separation the way he does, for a big play target who is a smart, seasoned veteran. he will have an impact. The question is how big will it be?
"I think Amari Cooper helps that because he's such a good route runner. He's not a blazer, he's not running a 4.2 40 (yard dash) at this point in his career. But he does know how to slyly get separation. I think that's important when you're trying to run any kind of offense."
Where does Cooper help the Bills out the most? The offense opens up with him on the field.
"This is why I think getting Amari Cooper was so important — they (Bills receivers) just weren't getting a lot of separation," Barber said. "The windows weren't big enough for Josh [Allen] to trust or throw the ball into. We saw this against the Jets where they were playing a lot of man coverage and there was nowhere for him to go with the football unless he extended plays."
"If you have to commit an extra body outside the box whether it's clouding a receiver or blanketing and replaying some sort of man coverage — it just takes one less player or the running back to make some big plays.
"I think the challenge is and I'll go back to Josh (Allen) is that when you have to commit extra resources to wide receivers, you now can't defend the sixth skill position player who is the quarterback. There's an advantage by having so much talent in the wide receiver room."
With Cooper on the Bills, Buffalo has a lineup that consists of Cooper, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, and James Cook as Allen's top targets. The Bills offense will be better, even if Cooper isn't as productive as when he was when the Cowboys acquired him.
"Josh [Allen] is their piece that's gonna keep them in Super Bowl contention," Barber said. "Because he does so much with his legs, with his playmaking ability. There's a backyard-ness to the way he plays football. It's kinda like what Patrick Mahomes does.
"With the really good players, it's not prescribed to the play call. He can improvise and be creative that way."
