When the Buffalo Bills acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Cleveland Browns, they had hoped his Pro Bowl experience would be enough to make him the top target in their offense.
That didn't go exactly to plan.
The 30-year-old receiver battled injuries throughout his half season in Western New York, and was a non-factor for the rest of his games. The fact that he could not succeed with a top quarterback like Josh Allen throwing him the ball left some wondering if Cooper's career was coming to an end.
Those concerns may be put on hold in the coming weeks, though.
NFL reporter Gilberto Manzano believes that Cooper could end up signing a free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason.
"Cooper, who turns 31 in June, had a quiet, brief stint with the Bills after being traded by the Browns midway through the season," Manzano wrote. "He’s still a solid route runner capable of opening up the field for his teammates. The Steelers are thin at wide receiver after sending George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys."
Pittsburgh has been looking for a quality second option at receiver so it makes sense that they would target a player like Cooper.
It doesn't make him the right choice, though.
The struggles Cooper went through in Buffalo forced the Bills to spend even more money this offseason on Joshua Palmer. No one would confused Palmer's start to his career to someone like Cooper's, and yet the Bills made the roster move anyways.
It's a sign that the team isn't high on a former player of theirs. And Pittsburgh could end up walking into a struggling situation if they went down that road.