The Buffalo Bills pulled off a major trade for Amani Hooker to boost their secondary, and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is ready to put the veteran safety to work.
The Bills were expected to add help to the back end of their secondary and ended up snagging one of the best safeties on the trade block, shipping a second-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for Hooker and a fifth-round pick back to them.
Leonhard opened up about Hooker, saying the team is ready to tap into his versatility.
Jim Leonhard Praises Amani Hooker
As SI.com noted, Leonhard believes Hooker will be able to contribute across several levels of the secondary. He was known at Tennessee for his ability to cover plenty of ground, which could help in Buffalo alongside the more steady Cole Bishop.
“He can play in space, he can play down by the box, he covers, he tackles, you know, he finds a football. So I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I think he makes his defense better,” Leonhard said.
Leonhard, who was a coach at Wisconsin before going to the Denver Broncos and ultimately returning to Buffalo, said he was familiar with Hooker from his college years.
“I’ve been a big fan of his game for a long time,” Leonhard said. “Obviously, it goes back to watching him in the Big Ten [Conference], being rivals there, and then just watching how he’s progressed throughout his career in the NFL. I’ve always felt like he’s a complete safety.”
Amani Hooker Expected to Play Important Role
SI.com’s Connor Orr suggested that Hooker’s addition could complete a Bills defense that has plenty of playmakers, but struggled to bring it all together.
“The Bills generate quarterback pressure on slightly more than 40% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, which is significant especially when you consider the Vikings’ pressure rate currently sits at 48.2,” Orr wrote. “It’s not that big of a difference—the next-highest team, the Jaguars, is at 44%—and shows Buffalo has the horses. There is now top-tier talent at every level of this defense, and Leonhard won’t have to do as much piecing together in the post-C.J. Gardner-Johnson/get-the-most-out-of-Damar-Hamlin era.”
Hooker said this week that he’ll be ready to play in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, noting that the concepts are largely the same and he can learn the details. The Bills had been starting Hamlin after cutting ties with Gardner-Johnson, and can still give the veteran safety playing time while Hooker is getting up to speed.
Bills DC Jim Leonhard Reveals Plan for Amani Hooker After Blockbuster Trade