{"id":194603,"date":"2024-10-16T13:31:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T17:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=194603"},"modified":"2024-10-16T13:31:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T17:31:21","slug":"bills-deadline-targets-amari-cooper-trade-jets-davante-adams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/16\/bills-deadline-targets-amari-cooper-trade-jets-davante-adams\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills Deadline Targets After Win vs. Jets, Amari Cooper Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills outlasted the rival <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">New York Jets<\/a>, 23-20, in one of the ugliest games in NFL history on Monday night to retain their lead in the AFC East. The win and subsequent talk about the horrendous officiating has overshadowed the obvious flaws that remained on display for the Super Bowl hopefuls from Western New York.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Aaron Rodgers on the penalties tonight: \u201cIt seemed a little ridiculous. Some of them seemed really bad, including the roughing passer on me. That\u2019s not roughing the passer.\u201d <\/p>\n<p> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4buMbUEh6Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4buMbUEh6Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MySportsUpdate\/status\/1846040553693081976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Then Buffalo and New York went to battle again Tuesday. This time it was in the wide receiver trade market. The Jets <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/15\/raiders-trade-davante-adams\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">acquired Davante Adams<\/a> from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/raiders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>. Just hours later, Bills general manager Brandon Beane <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/15\/amari-cooper-traded-to-buffalo-bills-cleveland-browns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">completed a deal<\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cleveland Browns<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/15\/buffalo-bills-fantasy-outlook-after-trading-for-amari-cooper\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Amari Cooper<\/a> to give <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/24\/josh-allen-mvp-biggest-hurdles-buffalo-bills-qb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Josh Allen<\/a> a more proven No. 1 target.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills have other areas of need, as well. Although it was originally ticketed as more of a transition year for the franchise, a 4-2 record in the middle of Allen&#8217;s prime should lead the front office to get aggressive in upgrading the roster. The mindset should be shifting back toward win-now mode.<\/p>\n<h2>Bills Beat Jets; Analyzing Trade Deadline Outlook<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Wide Receiver<\/h3>\n<h4>Search Complete with Amari Cooper Addition<\/h4>\n<p>Allen has completed 62.8 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in a season where journeyman Mack Hollins ranks second among Bills wideouts in snap share (63.6 percent). That&#8217;s why he should be firmly in the MVP conversation. It&#8217;s also why Beane likely called every fellow GM seeking an upgrade at the position before coming to an agreement with the Browns.<\/p>\n<p>Cooper isn&#8217;t in the same tier as Adams\u2014a bona fide No. 1 receiver\u2014but he&#8217;s a perfect fit in Buffalo. A starting trio of Cooper, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/01\/khalil-shakir-drops-clues-2024-buffalo-bills-offense\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Khalil Shakir<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/25\/everybody-eats-inside-phrase-fueling-buffalo-bills-josh-allen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Keon Coleman<\/a> is far more complete than what the Bills were working with across the first six games. Hollins shifting into the No. 4 role with a greater emphasis on his blocking ability makes more sense.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Amari Cooper has never been an absolute elite WR. <br \/>But he&#39;s been a 1000 yard WR (when healthy) just about every season of his career. <br \/>He&#39;s a dependable WR1. Should bump the rest of the pass catching options down into much more manageable roles. <\/p>\n<p>Exactly what the <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bills?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bills<\/a> need.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thadbrown7\/status\/1846253498293215358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Cleveland (1-5 record) is probably heading toward a massive roster reset given the continued struggles of quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/11\/deshaun-watson-cleveland-browns-contract\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Deshaun Watson<\/a>. The rebuilding process always begins with an accumulation of draft picks, and the Browns snagged a few mid-to-late-round selections from Buffalo for Cooper.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Bills <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bills\/news\/nfl-salary-cap-spotrac-mike-ginnitti-sees-buffalo-active-spender-2025\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">strategically worked<\/a> to take on some dead-cap hits this year to create more financial flexibility for 2025. It makes moving those picks, which represent players on team-friendly contracts, a little more bearable in this instance. It&#8217;s a win-win deal that could help both teams in the end.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;This one feels like a heist.&quot;<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatMcAfeeShow?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@PatMcAfeeShow<\/a> weighs in on the Bills trading for WR Amari Cooper \ud83d\ude2f <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1GtfAcrczb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1GtfAcrczb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNNFL\/status\/1846268894010364404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Buffalo couldn&#8217;t afford to let the deadline pass without making at least one addition at wide receiver. The group wasn&#8217;t good enough to capitalize on the terrific year Allen is putting together. Adding Cooper to the mix definitely elevates the offense&#8217;s upside for the rest of 2024.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Linebacker<\/h3>\n<h4>Possible Target: Devin Lloyd (Jacksonville Jaguars)<\/h4>\n<p>The Bills&#8217; linebacker tandem of Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector was a major reason for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/01\/bills-reality-check-baltimore-ravens-buffalo-major-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">blowout loss<\/a> to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> in Week 4. Terrel Bernard has since returned to bring some stability to the position, but the drop-off from Williams to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/15\/bills-matt-milano-biceps-injury-2024-nfl-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Matt Milano<\/a> is still massive.<\/p>\n<p>Milano is recovering from a bicep injury. He isn&#8217;t expected to return until at least December. That timetable puts him one minor setback away from missing the rest of the season. In turn, the Bills can&#8217;t afford to stand pat in the middle of their defense.<\/p>\n<p>Williams&#8217; stat line is a bit deceiving. He&#8217;s accumulated 61 total tackles, which is tied for second in the NFL, but he&#8217;s struggled tracking ball carriers. The 23-year-old Tulane product took an egregious path to the ball on one play Monday that allowed Breece Hall to break free for 42 yards:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Breece Hall goes 42 yards!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BUFvsNYJ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BUFvsNYJ<\/a> on ESPN\/ABC<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: Stream on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFLPlus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLPlus<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1WSizWkvzS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/1WSizWkvzS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1846011877434052841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 15, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Plays like that are why his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/dorian-williams\/97694\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Football Focus<\/a> grade stands at a lackluster 62.6 despite the high tackle numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Lloyd is having a down season by his standards, but that&#8217;s why he could be available for trade with the Jags sitting at 1-5. Even while not playing his best, his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/devin-lloyd\/58238\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PFF<\/a> grade stands at 70.9. That&#8217;s a modest uptick from Williams, but an improvement nevertheless.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills would also hope the linebacker bounces back into their system. Across his first two NFL seasons, he racked up 242 total tackles, 15 passes defended, four fumble recoveries, and three interceptions in 32 appearances.<\/p>\n<p>If Milano does return, it could also allow the Bills to run more three-linebacker sets in obvious rushing situations to take some pressure off star slot cornerback Taron Johnson.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Safety<\/h3>\n<h4>Possible Target: Andre Cisco (Jaguars)<\/h4>\n<p>Buffalo&#8217;s safety situation is tough to predict. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/01\/micah-hyde-return-buffalo-bills-injury-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Micah Hyde<\/a>, who patrolled the team&#8217;s secondary for the previous seven years, is still a free agent. While he hasn&#8217;t confirmed he&#8217;ll play this season, the fan-favorite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/nfl\/profootballtalk\/rumor-mill\/news\/micah-hyde-says-hell-either-play-for-the-bills-in-2024-or-retire\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stated<\/a> he&#8217;ll only play for the Bills. He&#8217;s been cautious amid a <a href=\"https:\/\/athlonsports.com\/nfl\/buffalo-bills\/bills-central\/news\/buffalo-bills-micah-hyde-return-update-injury-concerns-retirement-decision\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">history of neck problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hyde is the first choice. If he wants to play, he&#8217;d be a massive upgrade after getting back up to game speed, but there&#8217;s no guarantee he&#8217;ll return.<\/p>\n<p>One thing&#8217;s for sure: the current duo of Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp is a concern. Hamlin is one of the league&#8217;s most inspirational stories, but he&#8217;s severely limited as a playmaker. While he earned a starting role because of his scheme knowledge, opponents are taking advantage of him in coverage.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatrickMoranTB\/status\/1846178797759971823<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Rapp is the ultimate boom-or-bust defender. He made some terrific plays to break up passes against the Jets, but he also gets burned at times. Neither backup, rookie Cole Bishop nor veteran Mike Edwards, has stood out in their playing time, either.<\/p>\n<p>Cisco is another Jacksonville defender who could make sense for Buffalo. The 2021 third-round pick has recorded 31 total tackles, three passes defended and an interception this season. He&#8217;s hauled in eight picks in 36 games since the start of the 2022 season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Andre Cisco with the big-time INT \ud83d\ude24<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/JAXvsCHI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#JAXvsCHI<\/a> on NFL Network<br \/>\ud83d\udcf1: Stream on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFLPlus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NFLPlus<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Kf7yItDY7a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Kf7yItDY7a<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1845472015127359810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the Bills and Jags could agree on a package of future draft picks for both Lloyd and Cisco. It&#8217;d bring much-needed depth to the Buffalo defense.<\/p>\n<p>Main Image: Peter Casey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills defeated the New York Jets to maintain their grip on the AFC East. Will they still make a splash at the trade deadline?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5175,"featured_media":194877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,3],"tags":[489,8012,7705,1039,9117],"class_list":["post-194603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-bills","tag-amari-cooper","tag-andre-cisco","tag-buffalo-bills-news","tag-davante-adams","tag-devin-lloyd"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}