The Buffalo Bills tried to fill their wide receiver need ahead of last season’s trade deadline by acquiring Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns. The move didn’t provide the desired results, so it’s back to the drawing board for general manager Brandon Beane.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report listed two options to fulfill the Bills’ “dream offseason trade scenario:” the Seattle Seahawks‘ Tyler Lockett or Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Christian Kirk.
“With both players likely to be cut anyway, their teams would presumably jump at getting even a modest return in a trade,” Davenport wrote.
Upgrading the offense without a significant draft pick investment would be a major victory for Buffalo, which has other needs to fill and limited financial flexibility for 2025.
Bills WR Trade Options Headlined By Tyler Lockett, Christian Kirk
Why Cooper Didn’t Work in Buffalo
Cooper recorded 20 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight games for the Bills in 2024. While it’s solid production, he didn’t make a game-changing impact. In turn, Buffalo will likely let the veteran wideout test the open market as an impending unrestricted free agent.
So, why didn’t the trade work out? First, it’s important to point out the 30-year-old Miami native suffered a wrist injury early in his Bills tenure. He returned after missing just two games, but his snap share never reached a No. 1 WR level.
AMARI COOPER. TOUCHDOWN BILLS.
: #TENvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/y1lE7R509g
— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
A more important factor, however, was the fact his skill set overlapped what Buffalo already featured in its receiver room. Cooper is someone who relies heavily on short and intermediate routes. That’s even more true at this stage of his career. He isn’t taking the top off opposing secondaries.
The Bills already had a bunch of targets—Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins, and tight end Dalton Kincaid—who operated the same way. It aided the “Everybody Eats” mentality, but it left the unit without someone to keep the defense honest.
As a result, opponents started bringing their safeties close to the line of scrimmage and clogging up the middle of the field. MVP quarterback Josh Allen ensured the offense continued to succeed. The upside was severely limited without a home-run threat, though.
The Case For Lockett
Lockett is no longer the high-end vertical weapon he was in his prime. That said, even at age 32, he can stills stretch the opposing defense. His speed was masked over the past couple years, however, as the Seahawks shifted to a more quick passing attack with Geno Smith under center.
The Kansas State product still had four games with a catch of at least 29 yards or longer. He’s also built an impressive track record, with three All-Pro selections (one First Team and two Second Team) and a Pro Bowl appearance in 2015.
The art of @TDLockett12 running routes.
pic.twitter.com/TPEiOpV5kT
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) February 18, 2025
Moving from Seattle, where he played an all-around role, to Buffalo, where he’d be focused more of trying to showcase his 4.4 speed, could be the perfect recipe for a late-career revitalization. That’s especially true given Allen’s nearly unmatched arm strength.
Lockett has also proven himself as one of the NFL’s most durable players. He’s played 161 of a possible 164 regular-season games since his rookie year in 2015. That consistent availability is attractive to the Bills in a trade. It dealt with an endless stream of short-term absences in 2024.
The Case For Kirk
Kirk is attractive if the Bills are focused solely on the deep threat element. While Lockett would be ticketed for a more standard three-down role, the Jags wideout would arrive as more of a rotational piece, which fits that “Everybody Eats” mantra.
The 2018 second-round pick has a catch of at least 49 yards in all seven of his NFL seasons. That’s an element Buffalo’s offense has been missing over the past handful of years. Getting it back without Coleman losing snaps in what will be a crucial second NFL season is an added bonus.
Lawrence finds Kirk in the flat for a @Jaguars TD!
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
Kirk also put together one of his best performances of the season against the Bills back in September. He tallied eight catches for 79 yards, though Jacksonville lost the game 47-10. His season was ultimately cut short by a broken collarbone that landed him on injured reserve.
Assuming he’s trending toward a full recovery, and he’s also willing to rework the final year of his contract, he’d be a great fit on paper.
Final Verdict on Bills Trade Targets
Both Lockett and Kirk would be nice additions to the Buffalo offense. Again, it comes down to their willingness to rework their contracts after the trade, though. The Bills need a field-stretching option on a lower cap hit, which is why the draft is typically viewed as the most probable way to fill the void.
All other things being equal, Kirk may actually be the better fit despite Lockett’s more well-rounded résumé. Buffalo desperately needs someone with his big-play ability.
The Bills passing game would be in a perfect place with Shakir, Coleman, and Kincaid as full-time starters with Kirk and a re-signed Mack Hollins splitting the other snaps.
Main Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images
The post Bills Trade Rumors: Buffalo Chasing WRs After Amari Cooper Flop appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.