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    • Marks for Bills, Browns, Deshaun Watson
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    Marks for Bills, Browns, Deshaun Watson

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    Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills must be fans of the game “Counter-Strike.”

    Just hours after beating the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football” and then watching their division rivals acquire three-time All-Pro WR Davante Adams, the Bills once again successfully bounced back – and may just be the getting the last laugh – after acquiring five-time Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns.

    Will everyone pass this final pre-trade deadline test? We don’t exactly judge on a curve, but not everyone will get the hang of the latest move that could change the power dynamics in the AFC and perhaps the league as a whole…

    AMARI COOPER TRADING MALFUNCTIONS

    Buffalo Bills: A-

    They’re off to a 4-2 start, good for first place in the AFC East, in the wake of trading WR1 Stefon Diggs (and his baggage) this offseason. Adding the speedy Cooper and his silky smooth route running to the lineup should take a 25th-ranked passing game to the next level, while allowing young WRs Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman to slide into less prominent roles where they may be better grow and thrive as they continue to develop. into larger components of this crime. It should also create room for TEs Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox to operate. And at the expense of the 2025 third-rounder and the pick swap of Day 3 selections, GM Brandon Beane is paying less than the Jets did for Adams or the Houston Texans did for Diggs, who signed a 2025 second-rounder in April brought back to Buffalo. transaction. The Bills will collect the remainder of Cooper’s $1.2 million salary, but — unlike the Adams scenario for the Jets — would have to re-sign him to retain his rights beyond this season.

    Amari Cooper: B+

    He’s in a decidedly better situation than when he caught 24 passes for 250 yards and two scores for the cratering Browns. And it seemed the environment had an impact on Cooper, who had some lapses in concentration — most notably in a loss in Las Vegas — and hadn’t been able to bring back much production despite being targeted 53 times by the highly ineffective Cleveland QB Deshaun Watson . The Bills have become a more run-oriented team since Joe Brady was promoted to the offensive coordinator’s chair midway through last season, and have kept the team on the ground 51% of the time in 2024. Still, there’s a golden opportunity for Cooper, 30, to shore up this offense — and he’s certainly gotten used to playing in the Great Lakes weather — and prepare for another big payday in free agency, not until he falls in love with Bills Mafia.

    Cleveland Browns: C

    It looks like they’re getting dimes for one of their best players – especially after the 2023 season clearly illustrated what this team and Cooper were capable of with competent quarterback play. Since his contract was almost up and he could no longer excel under these circumstances, General Manager Andrew Berry did the right thing by pulling the trigger now. What he really should have done was re-signed QB Joe Flacco in the offseason and took charge — when it became clear weeks ago that it was necessary — to bench Watson and his albatross contract. As things stand now? Sure, another Day 2 draft pick is nice. But barring a change in the middle, this franchise is essentially dead for another two and a half years.

    Deshaun Watson: F

    His 2024 season has gone from terrible to worse after, unlike Flacco, he failed to hold down the team’s best target as an integral part of the offense. Now Watson is throwing to Jerry Jeudy, who couldn’t establish himself as a WR1 before being traded by Denver, WRs Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman and TE David Njoku, another player who looked far superior with passers other than Watson throwing to him. The franchise’s trade for the controversial quarterback two years ago has already likely unfolded as the worst in league history and is apparently only going to get worse given the organization’s current inability – and unwillingness – to sign the player to leave that Browns fans would love to trade. .

    ***

    Follow Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

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