What the Browns are getting in Amari Cooper

The Cleveland Browns recently acquired four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, Amari Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys via trade. in exchange for Cooper, Cleveland gave up a fifth-round selection and the two franchises swapped sixth-rounders as well.

It is no secret that landing a wide receiver this off-season was a major priority for the Browns and this trade gives them an inarguably top 15 wide receiver in the NFL and bonafide number one target. How this affects the 2022 NFL Draft is left to be seen, but it will surely allow some flexibility.

Before diving into how the addition of Cooper changes the draft plans, let’s take a look at his resume up to this point as Cooper has found major success in the NFL. Since entering the league as a first-round selection in 2015, Cooper has been named All-Rookie as well as to the Pro Bowl four times, with the most recent being in 2019. Let’s take a deeper dive though.

Positives

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Amari Cooper is a game-changer that can flip the tide of a game when the ball is in his hands. Cooper is the definition of a pure number one receiver and broke the 1,000 yards receiving barrier three seasons from 2018 to 2020 and that spans across two teams as he spent time with the Oakland Raiders before being traded to the Cowboys for a first-round pick.

People look at the Dallas Cowboys and assume that Cooper just had a connection with Dak Prescott, but Cooper remained productive when Prescott went down and he continued to thrive with Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci, and Garrett Gilbert throwing him passes in 2020. That says a lot about Cooper, that he can remain the centerpiece no matter who his quarterback is, and that should allow him to pick up a connection with Baker Mayfield (until/unless the Browns starting QB changes) quicker than most.

Cooper will be a welcome addition to the Cleveland offense as evidenced in the highlights above he has elite agility to go with insane acceleration and he can provide a big play when needed. If they are going to find out what Baker Mayfield truly is, adding a legitimate weapon at wide receiver like Cooper will go a long way in helping to find out. It is hard to identify any glaring weaknesses to his game and he always seems to be open.

Negatives

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Every player has a weakness or two and although I believe Amari Cooper is a top-flight wide-out and can elevate the Cleveland offense, the 27-year old did take a step back last season.

When talking about Cooper, most people don’t have anything too negative to say, but they will say things like he is solid or okay, but not special. For $20 million a year, you would expect that player to be special and his statistical production tells another tale, but he is a bit of an odd player for a number one option in that he lacks elite speed and elite size.

Usually, the studs have at least one of those traits, Cooper also doesn’t appear above taking routes off, but that may have been his attitude towards the situation last season.

1

1