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The Buffalo Bills made way for Amari Cooper to join the team by parting ways with a veteran wide receiver who struggled to find a role in the offense.
Just hours after the Bills finalized a trade to bring Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, the team announced that Marquez Valdes-Scantling had been released. The former Kansas City Chiefs receiver joined the team this offseason but struggled through injuries in training camp and never settled into a role with the team once the season started.
Marques Valdes-Scantling’s Time in Buffalo Comes to an End
The Bills needed to clear a spot on the active roster after Cooper’s trade was finalized on Oct. 16, with Valdes-Scantling getting the hook. He appeared in six games this season but made only two catches for 26 yards.
The Bills went into this season embracing an “everybody eats” philosophy where they would spread the ball to a larger group of wide receivers on offense, making up for the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis by leaning on the group.
While the Bills have spread around the production — with wide receivers Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid all amassing more than 200 receiving yards through six games — Valdes-Scantling brought the least production. He appeared in just 39.1% of the team’s offensive snaps, and unlike Hollins, he had no role on special teams to add value beyond the offense.
Valdes-Scantling came to the Bills after two Super Bowl titles with the Chiefs, making a total of 63 catches for 1,002 yards and three touchdowns during his time in Kansas City.
Bills Making Plans for Amari Cooper
The Bills have a short week before taking on the Tennesse Titans on Sunday, and head coach Sean McDermott said he was unsure what role Cooper would be able to play.
“He obviously was on a different team up until a couple of hours ago,” McDermott said. “We want to get him in here and get him up to speed on our terminology and our system and see how he fits in. Like I said, it’s never about one guy. It’s about the team and in this case the offense.”
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McDermott said the team would try to get Cooper up to speed this week, but said he was confident in the team’s current wide receiver group until he’s ready.
“On paper, it’s one thing,” McDermott said. “At the end of the day, can the person play and help us? That’s really what we’re here to see over the next couple of days. I would hope the answer to all of that is yes. Going up against Amari and having a ton of respect for him and his game, but again, we have players in the building that we are already confident in, and he’ll fit into that equation and we’ll get him integrated and excited to see how quickly he can get up to speed here.”
Cooper is coming off a season where he made 72 catches for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns, but has seen a dip in production as the Browns offense has struggle this season. He made 24 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games this season.
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