The Buffalo Bills made a big move on Tuesday trading for veteran WR Amari Cooper. To acquire Cooper, the team gave up a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick with the hopes that Cooper establishes himself as a top receiving threat in an offense that needs a shot in the arm.
Cooper has been in the league since 2015 after being drafted in the first round out of Alabama and has been highly productive at every stop from Oakland to Dallas to Cleveland. Due to his time in the league, he has accumulated his share of injuries but has shown to be durable, missing minimal time.
Read below for a full injury analysis along with any potential concerns.
Injury History
2015 Oakland Raiders
Quadriceps injury, Week 10, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a right quad contusion from S Mike Mitchell in the third quarter forcing him to miss several snaps. He was limited in practice but missed zero games.
Foot injury, Week 13, missed 0 games.
Cooper dealt with plantar fasciitis for the last month of the season.
2016 Raiders
Back injury, Week 8, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a back injury in Week 8 versus Tampa Bay that led to him being limited in practice and ruled questionable for the following two weeks. He also had the bye in between to recover, not missing any games.
Shoulder injury, Week 14, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a shoulder injury that lingered the rest of the season leaving him questionable each game including the playoffs.
2017 Raiders
Concussion/Right High-Ankle Sprain, Week 12, missed 1 game.
Cooper suffered both a concussion and a right high-ankle sprain playing against the Denver Broncos in Week 12, forcing him out of the following contest.
Right high-ankle, Week 14, missed 1 game.
Cooper aggravated his high-ankle sprain from Week 12 when he was rolled up again and missed the following week.
2018 Raiders/Dallas Cowboys
No publicly reported injuries.
2019 Cowboys
Left Foot injury, missed most of preseason.
Cooper dealt with another bout of plantar fasciitis according to several reports missing most of the preseason. Other sources indicated that he had an issue with an intrinsic muscle of the foot which can cause similar issues. It’s not clear if this was the same foot from previously.
Right Ankle injury, Week 5, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered an ankle injury in practice prior to the Week 5 game versus the Green Bay Packers. He did not have a designation for Week 5 or 6 before being ruled questionable in Week 7, suiting up.
Quadriceps injury, Week 6, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a quadriceps injury during the third quarter in Week 6 that led to his early exit from that game.
Knee injury, Week 9, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a left knee contusion that required an MRI and limited him in practice. The article also stated that he went up for a pass the prior week and came down the wrong way, suggesting more of an issue.
2020 Cowboys
Right ankle surgery, offseason.
Cooper underwent a clean out of his right ankle following the final regular season game of a 6-10 Cowboys season. It’s not clear when he originally injured the ankle.
2021 Cowboys
Bruised Ribs, Week 2, missed 0 games.
Cooper exited late in the game versus the Chargers and did not return after being diagnosed with bruised ribs.
Right Hamstring, Week 4, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a right hamstring strain on the third play of the game against the Panthers in Week 4. He kept the massage gun on his thigh to keep the muscle loose in order to keep playing. He was questionable the following week and played.
Right Hamstring, Week 8, missed 0 games.
Cooper aggravated his right hamstring strain against the Vikings in Week 8 and continued to play, helping the team secure the win.
COVID, Week 13, missed 0 games.
Cooper found himself testing positive with COVID prior to the Week 13 matchup against the New Orleans Saints but cleared protocol in time to play that week.
2022 Cleveland Browns
Right Ankle injury, preseason.
Cooper suffered an ankle injury and missed the first day of padded practice as a Cleveland Brown. It’s not clear how long he was out of practice then.
Hip/core muscle injury, Week 13, missed 0 games.
Cooper suffered a hip/core muscle injury against the Houston Texans in Week 13 and was questionable the following week.
Core muscle repair, offseason.
Cooper noted back in December that he was working through a core muscle injury and he underwent a repair in February following the season.
2023 Browns
Groin injury, practice prior to Week 2, missed 0 games.
Cooper aggravated his groin in the Saturday practice before Week 2 and was not expected to play, listed as questionable but suited up.
Shoulder injury, Week 3, missed 0 games.
Ankle injury, Week 7, missed 0 games.
Rib injury, Week 12, missed 0 games.
Cooper took a hard shot to the ribs in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos and left the game early.
Concussion, Week 13, missed 0 games.
Cooper left the game in the second quarter after taking a shot to the head.
Heel injury, Week 16, missed 2 games.
Cooper suffered a heel injury versus the Houston Texans in Week 16 before missing the final two games and returning for the playoffs.
2024 Browns/Buffalo Bills
No publicly reported injuries.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Amari Cooper is one tough dude. He has missed only four games over a 10 year career, playing in 146 games. As you can see, the injuries he has played though are lengthy and often should keep many players out.
However, Cooper had said that he plays most games anywhere between 55-60 percent healthy and 75 percent healthy, although this was back in 2019. He has backed that statement up again and again as evident above.
Looking at concerns for Cooper, the ankles and concussions are probably the biggest concerns and injuries that he’s missed time for. Even those injuries will not linger or cause problems from season to season.
On a short-term rental, the hope is that he can stay healthy for up to 14 more games should the Bills make the Super Bowl. Even if Cooper does suffer an injury, it will take a lot for him to sit out. When he is injured, he continues to produce steady numbers season after season.
His injury history also reminds me somewhat of Curtis Samuel’s in how frequently he is on the injury report, but with way better production and far less money. Should the Bills look to sign Cooper once he hits free agency, his injury history is of minimal concern due to his availability and production.
We can only guess how productive Cooper will be with Josh Allen throwing him the football every week, but there are zero things to hate about this trade. The only way this would be better is if he had more years left on his deal.
I wish Amari Cooper the best of luck this season and to remain healthy.
Top Photo Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
