When a 7-1 team gives up a high draft pick to bring you in at the trade deadline, you know you’re going to need to play well.
That’s the position new Buffalo Bills safety Amani Hooker finds himself in as he gets set to make his debut against the New York Jets. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane sent a second round pick to the Tennessee Titans to get Hooker on the Bills (and a fifth-round pick). It’s not a secret Buffalo needed to get a safety at the trade deadline thanks to the release of C.J Gardner-Johnson and now they have one.
With Hooker being acquired less than a week ago, many were wondering if he’d see any playing time this week against the Jets, but head coach Joe Brady said Hooker will be on the field for at least some of the game. He didn’t specify how many snaps he’d get as he’s still learning the playbook. Given the well-documented struggles of Buffalo’s safeties, even a not-fully prepared Hooker would be an improvement over what they’ve had.
So what can Bills fans expect when he plays against the Jets? There will be hopes that he will make an immediate impact and have a splashy debut against the lowly New York offense. You can’t rule it out, but fans should be cautious of putting so much of a burden on someone still learning the defense.
How much of an impact should Amani Hooker make in his Bills debut?
Even though the Jets are inept on offense, don’t expect Hooker to get his league-leading sixth interception of the game against New York. It’ll be interesting to see how well he’s learned the playbook but he might not know it well enough to be aggressive in coverage to force interceptions. As badly as the Bills need to generate some turnovers, I’d be willing to say it’ll be another week before we see him get his first pick as a member of the Bills.
Since we also don’t know what his exact snap count will be, it’s hard to determine a full stat line. His instincts will serve him well enough that a pass breakup or two wouldn’t be surprising along with a few tackles. The Titans did open the season against the Jets so Hooker does have some familiarity with what they do offensively. Hooker did have 10 tackles with six of them being solo along with a tackle for a loss in the game.
While the Titans did lose that game 23-10, the two touchdowns they gave up were on the ground and the Tennessee offense struggled mightily. It’s tough to gauge how Hooker will do weeks later against the same opponent, especially since it was the season opener.
Overall, don’t expect Hooker to look like a savior against the Jets. He’s clearly a very talented football player but there’s a ramp up period that even the brightest stars need. Thankfully the game is against an inferior opponent so he can get his feet wet and be ready to play a full game against the Miami Dolphins next week. It’s a safe bet though that he gives Bills fans just enough of a taste to give them dare I say…hope he can take the defense up a level.
Hooker may very well be what the doctor ordered for what is ailing the Bills defense, but like any actual medicine, it may take some time for it to take effect and actually start curing what’s wrong.
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