Davante Adams and Amari Cooper have new teams. When can we expect to see some results? If history is any indication, then probably right away for at least one of them.
Adams isn’t what he’s been in the past. He’ll be 32 in December. But he was still playing at a high level in Week 2, catching 9 passes and a touchdown at Baltimore. And in his case, he’s got an extensive history working with his new/old quarterback, smoothing his transition. I’m not sure that he’s the best receiver on the Jets (Garrett Wilson is a talent) but I expect Adams will be having some good games. I could see him coming up with something this week.
With Cooper, I don’t believe he’ll be the best receiver on his new team. I like what I’ve seen from Khalil Shakir, who’s caught all but 1 of the 21 passes thrown his way this year. They've also got Dalton Kincaid, who's a tight end but at times operates like a wide receiver. But I don’t think the Bills would have traded for Cooper if they didn’t think he’s better right now than their other guys – Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins.
Looking at historical numbers, I see 13 other instances in the 32-team era where players who finished the season with 50-plus catches switched teams during the season. In eight of those 13 previous instances, the player made a positive impact in his first game with his new team – either a touchdown or at least 5 catches.
I see four guys who can be termed misses, and I’ve got them tagged with black dots. Antonio Bryant, Percy Harvin, Golden Tate and Mohamed Sanu all caught 2-3 passes for under 30 yards. And the late Demaryius Thomas lands in the gray area, with 3 catches for 61 yards. The other eight had decent production in their first games.
For the most current pair, my general lean would be to start Adams this week but hold off on Cooper. (Sean McDermott hasn't yet even committed to Cooper playing at all this week, so if he's on the field, it presumably will be with a limited package of plays.)
| TRANSPLANTED PASS CATCHERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Opp | Result | No | Yds | TD |
| 2003 | Kevin Johnson, Jac. | at NYJ | L 10-13 | 5 | 77 | 0 |
| 2004 | • Antonio Bryant, Cle. | Phil. | L 31-34 | 2 | 26 | 0 |
| 2007 | Chris Chambers, S.D. | Hou. | W 35-10 | 2 | 35 | 1 |
| 2010 | Deion Branch, N.E. | at Balt. | W 23-20 | 9 | 98 | 1 |
| 2011 | Brandon Lloyd, St.L. | at Dall. | L 7-34 | 6 | 74 | 0 |
| 2014 | • Percy Harvin, NYJ | Buff. | L 23-43 | 3 | 22 | 0 |
| 2018 | Amari Cooper, Dall. | Ten. | L 14-28 | 5 | 58 | 1 |
| 2018 | Demaryius Thomas, Hou. | at Den. | W 19-17 | 3 | 61 | 0 |
| 2018 | • Golden Tate, Phil. | Dall. | L 20-27 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| 2019 | Emmanuel Sanders, S.F. | Car. | W 51-13 | 4 | 25 | 1 |
| 2019 | • Mohamed Sanu, N.E. | Cle. | W 27-13 | 2 | 23 | 0 |
| 2021 | Zach Ertz, Ari. | Hou. | W 31-5 | 3 | 66 | 1 |
| 2022 | T.J. Hockenson, Min. | at Was. | W 20-17 | 9 | 70 | 0 |
| 2024 | Amari Cooper, Buff. | Ten. | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2024 | Davante Adams, NYJ | at Pitt. | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan