Tag: Amari Cooper

Browns WR Amari Cooper cracks All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner’s top five WRs

New York Jets All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner ranks Amari Cooper in his top five wide receivers in the NFL.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper received high praise from superstar cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. The New York Jet was asked to name his top five wide receivers and named Cooper along with Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Devante Adams, and CeeDee Lamb. 

Gardner is very familiar with Cleveland as the Browns have played the Jets in Gardner’s first two seasons. Cooper missed the last game against the Jets with an injury. But in the first matchup, Cooper had one touchdown and 101 yards on nine receptions. 

Cooper is the most underrated wide receiver in the NFL. The former first-round pick has never been selected to an All-Pro team in his nine-year career. He’s only made five Pro Bowls including this past season. 

Cooper was the first receiver in Browns history to have back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Cooper’s unique blend of size, speed, and strength makes him a near-impossible assignment to cover. Cooper’s deliberate, craftsman-like approach to route running has transformed him into a guru. 

Cooper is seen as a mentor to a host of younger receivers. New Browns’ wide receiver Jerry Jeudy mentioned how he looked forward to learning more from Cooper now that they’re teammates. It’s rewarding to watch the new crop of NFL All-Pros respect Cooper for the legend he is. 

Report: Browns could look to extend WR Amari Cooper before start of season

Extending Cooper would be a great idea for the Browns

Two years after the trade for Amari Cooper, the Cleveland Browns may be looking to keep their top receiver around longer.

Cooper has been very productive, including setting a career-high in touchdown passes in 2022 and a career-high in receiving yards this past season. He also cemented his legacy in Cleveland, setting a single-game Browns record for most receiving yards in a game.

Now, he enters the final year of his contract, as he will turn 30 before the season starts. Browns’ insider Mary Kay Cabot believes, after Berry’s comments at the owner’s meeting, that the team could extend Cooper before the season.

One of the biggest reasons to extend Cooper is the cap hitting his current deal this year; the team could extend him, spread the cost out over multiple years, and create more rollover cap spaces for the future. On top of that, the team only has Jerry Jeudy under contract after this year in terms of proven talent for the position.

This would be an excellent move for the Browns, keeping one of the league’s best route runners and an elite player at a premium position.

Every NFL team’s receiving leader from the 2023 regular season

Each team’s leader in receiving yards from 2023

Look, we know the Carolina Panthers had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year—particularly on offense. But fair is fair, and we already gave you passing and rushing leaders.

So, let’s finish it out and run through each team’s leader in receiving yards from the 2023 regular season.

4 moves the Browns can make to create more cap space in 2024

No, the contract of Deshaun Watson is not going to hinder Cleveland’s offseason options. Yes, the Browns will have plenty of money to spend this offseason… again.

It is a common misconception that the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson will be detrimental to the spending capabilities of the Cleveland Browns. However, there are moves to make with him, wide receiver Amari Cooper, and more that will give the Browns plenty of flexibility to throw money around again this offseason.

General manager Andrew Berry has been pegged as one of the NFL’s most aggressive general managers. From trading for wide receiver Elijah Moore and defensive end Za’Darius Smith to landing defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, and more in free agency, the Browns had a productive offseason a year ago.

That will not be any different this year despite currently sitting $19 million in the hole in cap space. The cap is easily manipulatable, and Berry has proven to be one of the best at working the system.

Here are four moves the Browns could make to clear a significant amount of cap space to spend this offseason.

Teddy Bridgewater’s high school has sent some impressive players to the NFL

Teddy Bridgewater’s high school coaching career comes with high expectations. Miami Northwestern has sent some impressive players to the NFL:

Good luck in the next chapter of your football life, Teddy Bridgewater. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback’s high school coaching career comes with high expectations: Miami Northwestern has sent some impressive players to the NFL, and they’ve been a fixture in the South Florida playoff picture.

Bridgewater was hired after his Miami Northwestern alma mater went 4-6 in 2023, their first season with a losing record since 2014’s 5-6 finish. The school had won 10 or more games in five of the seven seasons in-between, and Bridgewater will be expected to return to those standards.

He’ll be responsible for making a positive influence on the next generation — including college recruits like 2024 cornerback Guylijah Theodule (a former Vanderbilt commit who has drawn offers from Florida, Miami, James Madison, and Marshall) and quarterback Adrian Posse (who signed his letter of intent with UAB), as well as 2026 four-star wide receiver Calvin Russell (who has already drawn attention from Florida State, Appalachian State, Marshall, Texas A&M, and USF).

They’re the next in line to join the future pros who walked the same hallways, studied in the same classrooms, and starred on the same football field as Bridgewater himself. Here’s a quick look at some of the NFL talent to come out of Miami Northwestern:

Which AFC Wild Card teams should the Ravens fear most?

The Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Houston Texans may pose a threat to the Ravens perfect season in the AFC Playoffs.

If the No. 1 seeded Baltimore Ravens aren’t careful, they may be on upset alert. Which AFC Wild Card team poses the most significant threat to their season?

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4 ways the Texans can limit Browns’ Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper

The Texans and Browns have a rematch, but things will be different this time around. Here’s how Houston can limit Cleveland:

The Houston Texans have a rematch in the postseason!

After winning the AFC South last weekend, they’ve secured a home playoff matchup against the Cleveland Browns (Saturday, 3:30 p.m CT). The two played as recently as Christmas Eve, during which the Browns absolutely battered the Texans, without C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson, Blake Cashman and others, in a 36-22 Week 16 victory.

The initial matchup leaves some interesting questions for Houston on defense. They can expect their offensive output to improve dramatically with Stroud back under center, but they’ll have to play better to stop a Cleveland offense who had 418 total yards during the game.

Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while wide receiver Amari Cooper had the best day of his career with 11 receptions for 265 yards and two scores.

There are certainly changes from the last time they played and ones that should give Houston fans optimism things will be different. Here are four of those developments that may play a huge role:

Browns Injury Report: Still no Amari Cooper or Cedric Tillman with Texans two days away

The Browns are getting set to take on the Texans in the Wild Card round, but need to get two receivers back to practice

As the Cleveland Browns prepare to take on the Houston Texans this weekend in the opening round of the playoffs, they are still without wide receivers Amari Cooper and Cedric Tillman in practice.

Cooper missed the final two games of the season against the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, and is listed as a rest-related “did not practice.” There is hope there is no fear of his status for Saturday’s game. Tillman, however, suffered a concussion against the Bengals and will be a further shot to suit up.

However, several other starters returned to practice, including Pro Bowlers Myles Garrett, David Njoku, and Joel Bitonio. Safety Juan Thornhill, who has been battling a calf injury all season, has also returned to practice with fellow defensive back Greg Newsome II.

All in all, the Browns are entering this Wild Card matchup as healthy as they have been in quite a while. Can they get Cooper and Tillman back to practice today in their final tune-up before they travel to Houston?

Here is every player who either missed practice or was limited in practice on Wednesday.

Browns Injury Report: Joel Bitonio, Amari Cooper, more starters miss practice in preparation for Texans

Multiple starters missed practice on Tuesday.

The Cleveland Browns are giving their usual veterans like guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver Amari Cooper their regularly scheduled rest as they prepare for their Wild Card matchup against the  Houston Texans.

This has been common practice for the Browns this season as the veterans on the roster have typically been given an extra day to rest up as the season gets long. Tight end David Njoku joined those veterans on their scheduled day off as  well.  There were, however, a great deal of other players who are still recovering from injuries as kicker Dustin Hopkins is unlikely to play.

However, players like cornerback Denzel Ward, defensive Shelby Harris (who exited the game against the Bengals with a shin injury), and punter Corey Bojorquez practiced in full for the Browns. They have gotten healthy at the right time after their much-needed week of rest in Week 18.

With just three days until the Browns take on the Texans, here is every player that was either limited in practice or did not practice on Tuesday for Cleveland.

The Cleveland Browns could win the AFC’s one-seed in the playoffs

After their Thursday night win over the Jets, the Browns actually have a chance to become the AFC’s one-seed through the playoffs.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

After their 37-20 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night, the 11-5 Cleveland Browns not only clinched their second playoff berth since 2020 (the team had not made the playoffs before that since 2002), but they have an actual shot at the AFC’s one-seed.

Which means that the AFC playoffs might go through Cleveland.

Here’s how it needs to go.

So. If the Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, January 7, and the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Dolphins lose to the Buffalo Bills? Yeah. The Dawg Pound will be home base.

As Chase Daniel said, this is wild. The Browns currently have a league-high 26% of their salary cap on injured reserve, they’ve turned Joe Flacco into Kurt Warner, and the guys they were without due to injury against the Jets was… well, remarkable.

If Kevin Stefanski doesn’t win Coach of the Year, there should be an immediate recount.