Browns WR Amari Cooper set for wild-card matchup vs. Texans after missing two games with heel injury
Cooper had 265 receiving yards and two TDs against Houston on Christmas Eve
Amari Cooper is ready to go.
The Cleveland Browns wide receiver confirmed Wednesday that he is healthy and ready to play in their wild-card game against the Houston Texans this weekend after a heel injury. Cooper, who missed the Browns’ last two games with the injury, said he could have played in their regular-season finale — though the Browns rested most of their starters after already locking in the No. 5 seed in the AFC.
“It’s getting better every day,” Cooper said, via ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “I’m running around now. Just a typical injury that you have to work through.”
Cooper was one of several Browns stars who didn’t practice Tuesday, however. Myles Garrett was out with a personal reason, and running back Kareem Hunt missed practice with a groin injury. Tight end David Njoku was out, too, per Cleveland.com.
Cooper, 29, recorded a career-high 1,250 yards and had five touchdowns this season, his second with the Browns. The last time he was on the field came actually came against the Texans on Christmas Eve, where he set a franchise record with 265 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 11 catches in their 36-22 win.
Though he and veteran quarterback Joe Flacco are clearly clicking well, Cooper expects the Texans to change things up defensively when they get to NRG Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
“They’re not really a man [coverage] team, so I think the chances of them using a player to shadow me is a little bit less than what it would be if they were a man team,” Cooper said, via ESPN. “But you never know. For the playoffs, teams [are] willing to do whatever they have to do to win. So, we’ll just see.”
The Browns and Texans will kick off wild-card weekend Saturday afternoon. The Texans, who went 10-7 this season, won the AFC South for the first time since the 2019 season. The Browns, who finished second in the AFC North behind the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, will make just their fourth playoff appearance in the last three decades.
