Hall of Fame WR believes Amari Cooper is “the antithesis” of former Bills star

Many pundits will draw comparisons between former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs and new wide receiver Amari Cooper after the team acquired the latter receiver from the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday afternoon. It is a natural comparison; the Bills parted ways with Diggs in the offseason hoping to replace his production as a whole only to quickly realize the benefits of a true No. 1 target.

Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin mentioned the comparison during Tuesday’s edition of FS1 talktalking about the impact Cooper will have on the offense before deducing that he may be a better fit that Diggs was given the current state of the Bills’ roster and organization.

“The first thing I thought was, and I thought it’s a great situation for Josh Allen at this time and this year, because Josh has taken over this team,” Irvin said. “This is Josh’s team. You’ve talked about it before and now you have a wide receiver like Amari Cooper. Amari Cooper can still play football. I told you a couple of weeks ago when I saw him in Cleveland that he had done with cleveland i sat right here i saw a slanted route he said i don’t get it you know i was done with cleveland so move him now “opportunity to go back.”

Cooper joins the Bills at a time when the team has been taking a lot of heat for the lack of production from its wide receivers. Things haven’t gone well for Cooper in Cleveland either, as the Browns are off to a 1-5 start. The usually productive veteran had caught 24 passes for 250 yards so far in a lifeless Browns offense led by coordinator Ken Dorsey and quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Related: ESPN analyst says Bills are back to true AFC contender after Amari Cooper trade

In addition to the seven 1,000-yard seasons and five Pro Bowl selections, Cooper brings a different dynamic to the receivers the team is looking for. Irvin broke down the type of person and player that Cooper is, examining the dichotomy between him and Diggs.

“I think it’s interesting that that’s the antithesis when you talk about Stefon Diggs,” Irvin said. “In terms of personality, he’s the complete opposite. This is a quiet guy who’ll be in the locker room just playing chess with people. He really likes to play chess. So he’s not going to make noise. He’s not going to cause a ruckus. You know that when the pressure of the game is on, he’s not going to be like (Keyshawn Johnson) or Stefon Diggs, demanding that the guy throw you the ball no matter what. That’s what’s different.”

The unceremonious divorce between Diggs and the Bills caused pain in the fan base during the offseason, as his departure left a glaring void in the receiving corps. Cooper assuages ​​some of those concerns, adding a veteran presence and proven spacer to a lineup that desperately needs those two attributes. The Bills’ passing attack gets the boost it needs to get closer to Super Bowl contention.

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