ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Amari Cooper drove himself up I-90 East for the slightly below three-hour drive from Cleveland to Buffalo, New York, alongside Lake Erie.
The drive befell Tuesday within the hours after he was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Buffalo Payments. His telephone buzzing as he made his technique to his new staff, Cooper was making an attempt to absorb what occurred and fascinated about what awaited him.
“It type of felt like a protracted drive to my first day of faculty,” Cooper stated, later describing it as an “introspective drive.”
In his first full day on the Payments facility Wednesday, Cooper remarked that the change of surroundings from the Browns (1-5) to the Payments (4-2) over 1 / 4 into the season reinvigorated him.
“Yeah, it does. It does 100% for a number of causes truly,” the 30-year-old Cooper stated. “It is simply that feeling of getting a recent starting, a brand new begin, a clean canvas that you simply get to regulate your future, you understand?”
The Payments are Cooper’s fourth staff since he was drafted fourth total by the Raiders in 2015. The five-time Professional Bowler offers the Payments offense a robust route runner who has the flexibility to stretch the sector vertically and separate from defenders to come back down with contested catches.
Though Cooper’s numbers had been down this season in a Browns offense that has struggled — 24 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns — he provides to a large receiver room that didn’t have a transparent No. 1 and has struggled at occasions to get open.
“Completely, it is Amari Cooper, so, we’re very enthusiastic about that,” Josh Allen stated when requested if the addition is an emotional increase for the offense. “I do know the entire offense is, and that receiver room, they will welcome him with open arms and be able to work with him, and attempt to be taught from him, too, as a result of he is had lots of success on this league and clearly holds lots of data, so I feel it’ll assist our guys quite a bit.”
Cooper stated the sensation is mutual.
“So far as the way in which [Allen] performs, I imply, it is phenomenal,” he stated. “Each time I activate the tv and watch him play, he performs with lots of grit, lots of hustle, he performs laborious, and clearly he is been one of many prime quarterbacks within the sport for some time now. So, simply to have the ability to play with him and expertise that in particular person, I feel it’ll be actual cool.”
Whereas Cooper would not know many within the Payments facility, together with Allen, on a private stage, he does have a relationship with extensive receivers coach Adam Henry, his coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 and 2021.
The Payments host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, a doubtlessly fast turnaround for Cooper, who continues to be processing the commerce. Coach Sean McDermott stated he has not determined if Cooper will play.
“I might nonetheless need to type of undergo the week, get a routine, nonetheless studying the playbook and every thing. I simply received right here, you understand what I imply?” Cooper stated. “So, I do not actually have an expectation proper now that I can chalk as much as being life like till I am going by the week. Clearly, if I needed to reply the query, the expectation would simply be to take it to take full benefit of my alternatives. That is it. I do not know what alternatives I might be blessed with for Sunday, however no matter it’s, simply take full benefit of it.”
