Team news: Buffalo Bills | Page 39

Amari Cooper is dealing with a hamstring injury but practiced in full on Wednesday.

Cooper has been sitting out of practice for what the team deemed "maintenance purposes" since the beginning of September and this report provides us some clarity on what he's dealing with. While Cooper's status is worth monitoring this week, a full Wednesday practice indicates he should be ready to go on Sunday against the Rams and Jalen Ramsey.

Few were betting on Mitch Trubisky to win the starting job after the Bears traded for Nick Foles in March. The Bears, though, are betting on Trubisky.

They made official what leaked Friday, with coach Matt Nagy announcing that “Mitchell Trubisky is our starting quarterback.” The Bears posted it on social media Sunday, a week before the season opener.

Trubisky could have a short leash, but for now will start for the Bears over Foles. The Bears declined his fifth-year option, so Trubisky is entering the final season of his rookie deal.

Assuming the Lions are bringing in Adrian Peterson with a plan on how to use him -- and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has experience with Peterson from their four years together in Minnesota at the start of his career -- this could mean fewer carries for Kerryon Johnson and a completely diminished role for Scarbrough or Ty Johnson.

Related players: D'Andre Swift

The story said the Lions want to use a committee approach, something HC Matt Patricia was used to seeing during his days in New England. The story added Swift is likely going to be the pass-catching back and AP likely "won't interfere with with Swift will do." It was also mentioned Peterson could help to keep Johnson healthy this season by cutting into his workload. Not the best news for fantasy owners. Swift is the back to own, with the hope he can also eventually cut into the early-down workload.

Amari Cooper hasn’t participated in team drills during the last three practices. After going through individual work on Monday, Cooper exited with an athletic trainer, likely to work on the resistance cords outside.

When asked if he has any concerns about Cooper’s health, McCarthy responded: “No, I don’t. No. Not at all.”

HC Mike McCarthy said people shouldn't read into the decisions the team has made about Cooper not taking part in team drills. He added the team is still making evaluations. The good news is for owners it looks like Cooper will be fine for Week 1 but we'll continue to monitor.

As soon as the Cowboys drafted CeeDee Lamb in April, it was clear they were going to be in 11 personnel most of the time. Going with three wide receivers (Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Lamb), one tight end (Blake Jarwin) and one running back (Ezekiel Elliott) gets their best personnel on the field at the same time.

It seems like good news for Elliott, running the ball in a spread out offense - and defense. As the story also said, it allows them to be less predictable at the same time. In the past, when the Cowboys would bring in an extra tight end or fullback, teams would load the box to stop Elliott. If opponents choose to put eight or nine in the box now, they’ll be at a significant disadvantage defending all of Dallas’ weapons on the perimeter.

The first thing that stands out about Stefon Diggs is the on-field ability. He makes effortless cuts and finds separation even on the shortest routes and exploits the different looks the defense gives him. If the offensive line gives Josh Allen enough time to operate, Diggs usually finds a way to uncover from the defense.

Diggs caught 9 of Allen's 15 completed passes during a stretch Tuesday, the story said. The story said there seems to be a constant dialogue between Diggs and Allen as they continue to build their chemistry. Diggs praises Allen publicly when he throws with anticipation and he brings an intensity the offense lacked for much of 2019.

Drew Lock/Courtland Sutton. The first 11-on-11 play of training camp was a pass to Sutton and the duo are trending the right away. The in-sync part is important because I haven’t seen a glaring miscommunication between Lock and Sutton yet, which is a good sign considering the new playbook.

Lock/Jerry Jeudy. Agreed on your “getting there” analysis. They’ve had several nice completions, the same for Jeudy and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel.

Lock/K.J. Hamler. A tough break for the offense and for Hamler, who is out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury and whose status for Week 1 is in doubt. When Hamler gets back to practice, he and Lock will have to start over.

With Hamler out, the story said guys like tight ends Albert Okwuegbunam and Jake Butt and receivers Tim Patrick, DaeSean Hamilton and Tyrie Cleveland have all picked up the slack. Lock had time with Sutton last year so it makes sense they are on the same page. Jeudy will be a key to the offense as he and Lock look to get more comfortable with one another.

Bears fans who were hoping the team's quarterback competition would have an obvious winner early in training camp aren't going to like what coach Matt Nagy had to say Sunday. The drama under center isn't going away for a while.

"It's not gonna happen soon. We're going to take our time with it," Nagy said.

Related players: Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles

This shouldn't come as a surprise, the story said. Trubisky and Foles are about as even of a quarterback matchup as you can have. It's Trubisky's draft pedigree and physical traits versus Foles' ability to manage the offense while also rising above expectations when games matter most. Trubisky is the hope for a brighter future. Foles is the insurance policy for a run right now. Deciding between those two interests is really difficult, and as Nagy suggested, it takes time in order to make the right call, the story all said.

According to The Athletic, Buffalo Bills offseason acquisition Stefon Diggs has shown outstanding on-field rapport with quarterback Josh Allen.

Stefon Diggs moving to the Buffalo Bills to play with Josh Allen has caused some trepidation, but reports like these should help to ease those concerns. Allen was able to coax career highs in receptions and receiving yards from John Brown, and should have no problem getting the ball to a dominant route runner like Stefon Diggs. The Bills should be more than willing to open up the playbook now that they have a legitimate wide receiver room. Stefon Diggs is currently 23rd in our wide receiver rankings for the 2020 season.