Bills Urged to Target Another Pro Bowl WR Amid Davante Adams Rumors

The Buffalo Bills may need some help at wide receiver at the same time that All-Pro Davante Adams appears to be hitting the trade block.

Many believe it’s a match made in heaven, giving quarterback Josh Allen a new bona fide No. 1 target after the departure of Stefon Diggs last offseason.

One analyst disagrees. SI.com’s Ralph Ventre suggested the Bills should instead target a different former Pro Bowler — Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. Ventre noted that Cooper would likely come cheaper than the second-round pick that the Las Vegas Raiders are said to be asking for Adams.

“As the Cleveland Browns (1-3) fall further away from contention, veteran Amari Cooper may become available,” Ventre wrote in an October 2 story. “His price certainly would be no higher than a second-round pick, and even that seems to be a reach. Cleveland acquired Cooper for essentially a fifth-rounder back in 2022.”

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Bills May Not Content for Davante Adams

Though several insiders have pegged the Bills as a logical trade partner for the Raiders, Ventre noted that they don’t quite fit the preferred criteria for Adams.

“Rumors suggest that Adams wants to play with a quarterback who he is already familiar with, making the New York Jets‘ Aaron Rodgers and the New Orleans Saints‘ Derek Carr two prime candidates,” he wrote.

Ventre suggested there would be “too many hurdles” for the Bills to pursue Adams, noting that Cooper could be a more logical option if they want to boost their wide receiving corps.

Cooper is coming off a season where he made 72 catches for 1,250 yards and 5 touchdowns on a Browns team that struggled offensively at times. Though he is off to a slower start this season, Cooper has still made 16 receptions for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns.

But most important, Ventre suggested, is the price tag.

“If acquired today, Cooper would require less than $1 million in salary cap space according to Spotrac,” Ventre wrote. “It seems doable and Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane would be smart to get it done.”

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Bills Looking for Top Receiver

After the departures of Diggs and No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis last offseason, the Bills adopted an approach of “everybody eats,” spreading targets to a wide group of receivers,

While the approach has worked in spreading the ball out — there are five players with eight or more receptions — there is no clear-cut top receiver and none on pace to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Khalil Shakir, the team’s top returning wide receiver, leads the team with 18 receptions for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

The group fell flat in Buffalo’s 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, with ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg pointing out that the team passing game struggled against an aggressive defense.

“After putting up 30-plus points in the first three games, this was a relative no-show,” Getzenberg noted. “The Bills streak of 41 straight regular-season games of scoring more than 10 points ended, the longest active streak in the NFL. The offense went 2-11 on third down and Allen completed 16 of 29 passes (55.2%), down from his 75% average to start the season. The offensive line had a tough night with Allen pressured on 44.1% of throws and sacked three times after two sacks on the season.”

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