Amari Cooper made an instant impact as a member of the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The 30-year-old wide receiver caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in a 24-point win over the Tennessee Titans.
However, it was abundantly clear that he had no idea what to do just seconds before he scored!
Cooper, the former No. 4 overall draft pick in 2015, is one of the better players at his position. He won the Bileetnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver as a senior in college and has been just as good as a pro— when his quarterback can get him the ball.
Deshaun Watson was not able to do so during the first six weeks of the 2024 NFL season. Cooper caught 24 passes for only 250 yards and two touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns before the Bills acquired him in a trade last Tuesday. His first game with his new team was a great success.
Not only did Buffalo dominate Tennessee (during the second half), Amari Cooper was heavily involved.
Josh Allen found his new weapon for their first touchdown together on the first offensive possession of the third quarter. It sparked an authoritative comeback for the Bills after they trailed at halftime.
Cooper found paydirt even though he did not know the play. Keon Coleman had to tell him what to do after Allen checked the play at the line of scrimmage.
Cooper turned to his left and asked his rookie teammate for advice. He might’ve known what to do out of the huddle but was not sure of the audible. Coleman told him to go straight, so he did. And it worked!
Bills WR Keon Coleman literally had to demonstrate to Amari Cooper what route to run because he didn't know the play before catching his first TD in Buffalo 😂 pic.twitter.com/rGSMphRct7
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) October 20, 2024
Cooper had less than five days to move from Cleveland to Buffalo and learn the playbook. Allen had no more than three practices and a walkthrough to get acclimated with his new wide receiver.
Even though their first outing together wasn’t perfect on paper, it was still perfect on the field.