Tag: Amari Cooper

Hot start: Browns score on first play from scrimmage

One play, one score!

Right after a fumble forced by cornerback Tony Brown II on the opening kickoff, the Cleveland Browns took advantage of the sudden change and scored on their first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Deshaun Watson completed a 24-yard pass to receiver Amari Cooper for a touchdown, giving Cleveland an early 7-0 lead.

It’s hard to script a better start for the Browns, who are looking to stack wins for the first time in 2024. After their home dominance last year, Cleveland is seeking its first win at Huntington Bank Field following the disappointment of the season opener against Dallas.

More importantly, getting Cooper on track is essential for this offense to reach its passing potential. His route running through two games has looked consistent, but rare drops and mental mistakes have left him and Watson out of sync so far. This drought wasn’t bound to last, which should give Cleveland a real boost.

Amari Cooper finds more motivation in his slow start to 2024 season

He’s not throwing in the towel just yet.

Surprisingly, the Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Amari Cooper has not had the production we are used to.

His first two games of the season left sour tastes as he had huge drops for first downs and touchdowns in both contests. When you have a receiver like Cooper, the last thing you expect is for him to drop easy passes. Despite his slow start, his motivation has not been wavered.

Cooper answered questions after practice on Thursday that helped provide his insight on the struggles and how he responds to them:

“There are some bumps in the road in terms of my play, but it motivated me for sure.”

After seeing starting quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in the first two contests, they desperately need Cooper to return to his old self. Especially with star tight end David Njoku still not able to be on the field due to his injury. We’ll see if Cooper can bounce back against the Giants this week in Cleveland.

Browns maintain confidence in Amari Cooper despite slow start

Can Cooper bounce back against the Giants?

First-year offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey maintained confidence in Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper after a slow start to the Alabama product’s season.

“It’s one of those things… you never know where the ball is going to go over the course of a game.” Dorsey said in a press conference Thursday.

The Cleveland Browns certainly haven’t forgotten about Cooper whose 17 targets through two games ranks 14th in the league, tied with Dallas Cowboys All-Pro CeeDee Lamb.

However, Cooper and the offense have failed to connect as he’s only hauled in five receptions for 27 yards. Those numbers would be low for a single game, let alone two.

Perhaps we wouldn’t even be having this conversation if he managed to grab a long touchdown pass late against the Cowboys. The catch wouldn’t have changed the game but it would make his numbers appear much better.

“We’re going to continue growing as an offense and Amari is a big part of that.” Dorsey continued.

The Browns’ offense is indeed fluctuating to begin the season. Running backs Jerome Ford and D’Onta Foreman switched roles as the lead back between games one and two, while reinforcements in both starting tackles returning from injury should make a massive difference.

Cooper is coming off back-to-back excellent seasons so expectations remain high for the10th year veteran despite the slow start.

The 5 star NFL wide receivers next up for big paydays, including Ja’Marr Chase

These 5 NFL wide receivers will directly benefit from the Brandon Aiyuk deal.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk finally agreed to his monster extension with the franchise on Thursday, ending his long-standing holdout with the team.

Aiyuk is a very rich man now, and him reaching his new deal right on the heels of Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb signing his is going to speed up the extension market for other star players at the position.

It’s always good with a couple of big contracts get done at the same position to look at who else might be in line for their respective paydays, and we’ve gathered five wide receivers who will have new contracts sooner than later.

Ja’Marr Chase 

Sam Greene/USA TODAY Sports

Chase is in the midst of a hold-in with the Bengals, and we’re assuming a new deal with one of the league’s best receivers is only a matter of time right now. While quarterback Joe Burrow is the most valuable player on the team’s roster, Chase is a close second. The team cannot go as far as it wants without him, so you can expect a massive deal will get done sooner than later.

Kareem Elgazzar/USA TODAY Sports

Tee Higgins

Higgins, on the other hand, is a much trickier case for the Bengals. It’s not impossible for Cincinnati to extend both players, but Higgins is understandably going to want top-flight money. If the Cincinnati season goes awry, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Bengals try to trade Higgins away for a first-round pick to a contender. If it goes well, then Cincinnati will be in the difficult spot to either negotiate an extension, a sign-and-trade with another team or watch Higgins walk as the most sought-after free agent at the position in some time. It’s a good problem to have great players until it’s time to pay them. Unless the team can get a deal done, the Bengals may have to make some hard decisions with Higgins when the time comes.

Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports

WR Chris Godwin 

After paying quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. this offseason, Tampa Bay doesn’t have much cap space at its disposal in 2025 and would have to restructure contracts and/or make tough cuts to make space for a new Godwin deal. Godwin could be the top receiver on some teams, and we have a feeling he’ll want to cash in on his third professional contract. He could join Higgins as a hot commodity in free agency next spring if he leaves the Bucs.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775825759 ORIG FILE ID: 1426421016

WR Amari Cooper

The Browns have an absolute cap nightmare to suss through in 2025 and 2026 as the last two years of the Deshaun Watson contract takes its toll on the organization. Unless it wants to kick $33 million down the hill on Watson’s deal on a restructure, it may not be able to hold onto Cooper at the contract number he’s going to want. A new deal is coming Cooper’s way at some point in the next year, and he could be a really popular trade target at the deadline if the Browns don’t play well this season and start looking to the future.

Trevor Ruszkowski/USA TODAY Sports

WR Puka Nacua 

Nacua is the NFL’s best bargain at the position, as the 2023 fifth-round pick exploded as one of the elite talents at the position and garnered the fourth-most receiving yards in the NFL. As he plays for the pass-happy Los Angeles Rams, his production is going to remain among the best in the league. While he’s not set to be a free agent until 2027, it feels highly implausible that he’s going to play out his deal before getting paid. For a player this talented and this productive, we doubt his management will have him playing at this low a contract for much longer. We bet a new deal gets done sooner than later… like after this season, honestly.

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Fantasy football: Where to draft Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper

Analyzing Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper’s 2024 fantasy football ADP and where to target him in fantasy drafts.

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Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper is coming off arguably his best professional season in 2023. Selected 4th overall by Oakland in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Cooper played 3½ seasons for the Raiders before getting traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. He’s entering his 3rd season with Cleveland where the 5-time Pro Bowler should be the Browns’ top target. Below, we look at Amari Cooper’s 2024 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.

Entering 2024, Cooper is expected to be a high-volume weapon for a Browns offense that should rebound given the eventual return of RB Nick Chubb. The 30-year-old Cooper has top-10 receiver potential this season, and is very intriguing in terms of fantasy value.

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Amari Cooper’s ADP: 53.67

(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)

Cooper’s 53.67 ADP in redraft leagues puts him in the range of the 5th to 7th round, depending on the size of the league. Given Chubb’s injury concerns and his potential to not start the season, Cooper is currently the highest-drafted Browns player in fantasy leagues.

Among wide receivers, Cooper’s ADP puts him 25th at the position. He is behind Seattle’s DK Metcalf (40.97), San Francisco’s Brandon Aiyuk (43.34) and Philadelphia’s DeVonta Smith (44.57), and slightly ahead of Baltimore’s Zay Flowers (56.92), Pittsburgh’s George Pickens (59.13) and Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins (59.33).

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Amari Cooper’s 2023-24 stats

Games: 15

Receptions | targets: 72 | 128

Receiving yards: 1,250

Receiving touchdowns: 5

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Where should you draft Cooper?

Cooper’s fantasy value should get a boost this year with the presence of Chubb and a full season for QB DeShaun Watson in the Browns offense. Watson should continue to improve to his former Houston Texans self, which will bode well for Cooper.

A Pro Bowl selection a year ago, Cooper is aging, but he’s still the most elusive target for the Browns and should get to 70 receptions, like he has the last 2 seasons. Cooper can play underneath the safeties as well and could be a high-volume receiver, having had 100-plus targets in 6 straight seasons.

There isn’t much competition in the Browns receiving room even with the addition of former Broncos standout WR Jerry Jeudy, so Cooper should be the star of the show. He had a career-high 1,250 receiving yards last season and could duplicate that in 2024.

Draft Cooper early as his high-volume potential should lead to plenty of opportunity. Don’t let him fall out of the 5th round in 12-team leagues or out of the 6th round in 10-team formats. When healthy and with a solid quarterback, he should be good for 70-plus catches and 1,100-plus yards.

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Amari Cooper’s Browns career determined by consistency amidst rumors

He’s one of the best to do it in the brown and orange

When the Cleveland Browns traded for wide receiver Amari Cooper before the 2022 season, they viewed him as one of the most unappreciated contributors in the NFL.

Cooper had four 1,000-yard campaigns through his first seven years and was a cap casualty for the Dallas Cowboys – Cleveland happily sent a fifth-round pick to land the talented pass catcher.

Since he arrived in Berea, Ohio, Cooper has two 1,000-yard campaigns under his belt. He had a career-high nine touchdowns in 2022 and a career-high 1,250 receiving yards in 2023 as Cleveland’s unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver. While he’s put up monster production during his short tenure in the AFC North, there have been rumors swirling around his long-term future with the team.

Many around Cleveland figured it would be a short-term rental, either two or three years. That had been the expectation from the beginning, which can be difficult for an older player with aspirations of cashing in while winning. Cooper took it in stride, committing himself to the organization and delivering the best football of his career. He hoped his efforts would result in a long-term extension, holding out of minicamp this offseason while negotiating with the front office. Instead of adding years to his expiring contract, Cleveland opted to fully guarantee his $20 million salary and give him a raise of $5 million.

So, Cooper went into training camp on a one-year deal with a team desperate to contend now. That’s a lot of pressure, but the 30-year-old maintained his professionalism and reported to camp after striking an agreement. Just days after the news, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade. Cleveland was one of three teams reportedly in the Aiyuk sweepstakes; the Browns were supposedly offering Cooper and multiple draft picks to sign Aiyuk to a mega-extension upon completing the transaction.

Those rumors have died down just weeks ahead of opening kickoff, meaning Cleveland will likely head into the season with Cooper as its No. 1 option. After a tumultuous offseason, no one would blame Cooper for feeling frustrated. He has selflessly stepped into a situation that has been less than ideal – Cleveland has started six different quarterbacks in Cooper’s two seasons and doesn’t have a playoff win yet.

While things in the NFL can always shift at a moment’s notice, it seems Cooper will do what he always does. He’ll remain quiet, buy into a talented roster, and show up on Sundays. It’s been a noisy few years for Cleveland, and having leaders like Cooper in place should signal to younger players what the Browns want and need to make a successful run.

Browns overtake Eagles for NFL lead in players earning over $10M per year

Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns are tied with 13 players earning over $10M per year

Championship teams are built through the draft and shrewd free-agent acquisitions, and in this new day of the NFL, huge salaries are a prerequisite for overall franchise success.

Before Wednesday morning, Philadelphia and Cleveland led the NFL with 12 players earning $10+ million per season.  The Browns now have the top spot after the team agreed to a three-year extension with linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, worth up to $39 million, including a $25 million guarantee.

Browns

– Deshaun Watson: $46M
– Myles Garrett: $25M
– Denzel Ward: $20.1M
– Amari Cooper: $20M
– Jerry Jeudy: $17.5M
– Joel Bitonio: $16M
– Jack Conklin: $15M
– Dalvin Tomlinson: $14.25M
– Wyatt Teller: $14.2M
– David Njoku: $13.687M
– Grant Delpit: $12M
– Za’Darius Smith: $11.5M
– Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: $13M (max)

Eagles

– Jalen Hurts: $52M
– Saquon Barkley: $12M.5
– A.J. Brown: $32M
– DeVonta Smith: $25M
– Dallas Goedert: $14.5M
– Jordan Mailata: $22M
– Landon Dickerson: $21M
– Lane Johnson: $20M
– Bryce Huff: $17M
– Josh Sweat: $10M
– Darius Slay: $13M
– James Bradberry: $12.5

The Browns have the NFL’s second-highest payroll at $244,730,743, behind the Atlanta Falcons, who are shelling out a league-high $249,538,227 in cap space.

Philadelphia is 30th in the league, paying out $182,873,638 in total cap space this season.

K.J. Osborn studying Pro Bowl WR for more chemistry with Jacoby Brissett

K.J. Osborn is studying a five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver ahead of the season

New England Patriots wide receiver K.J. Osborn has been studying a former Cleveland Browns receiver as he looks to build chemistry with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

According to Osborn, he has been watching tape of five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Cooper has been a major source of production for the Cleveland Browns since he arrived in 2022. He has tallied 150 catches for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns in two seasons with Cleveland. He recorded 78 catches for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022 when he was teammates with Brissett.

Osborn is one of many new faces in the wide receivers room, as the organization has undergone a revamp at the position. He is using Cooper’s tape as something to draw on to help build more chemistry with Brissett on the football field.

Building chemistry with Brissett is going to be important for all of the receivers considering he’ll likely be the starting quarterback for the team in Week 1.

It’s encouraging to see Osborn leave no stone unturned in his bid to be successful in his first year in New England.

What Browns HC Kevin Stefanski had to say on Amari Cooper’s cryptic social media post

Stefanski gave a coy response when asked about Cooper’s social media post.

There was a whirlwind of news this weekend that came out about the Cleveland Browns, but perhaps the most pertinent was their run at San Francisco 49ers’ wideout Brandon Aiyuk, and how wide receiver Amari Cooper may or may not have been involved in discussions.

This led to Cooper taking to his Instagram to post the words “lol I wouldn’t mind at all.” Nevertheless, Cooper was at the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, dressed, and went through warmups like the other starters who didn’t play.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was then asked about Cooper’s post, most likely a response to almost being traded to the 49ers, and here is what he had to say:

“I think you probably know me well enough to say I don’t discuss conversations with players.”

Cooper, entering the last year of his contract and at the age of 30, had to have known the Browns were going to look at long-term options for their wide receiver room beyond 2024. The two-time NFL Coach of the Year is known for his ability to win the trust of players, so not spilling what was said behind closed doors is just another example of not ruining that rapport.

Cooper is still a member of the Cleveland Browns and Brandon Aiyuk is not. The rest can be put behind both sides.

Browns WR Amari Cooper responds to Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors

The Pro Bowl wideout has heard the noise.

The pursuit of San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro wide receiver looks to have come to an end for the Cleveland Browns, one that reportedly included potentially sending Amari Cooper to the Bay Area.

And the Pro Bowler in Cleveland has seemingly heard the noise surrounding his name, taking to Instagram to say “lol I wouldn’t mind at all.” This came after a report that the Browns had an agreement in place for Brandon Aiyuk, sending Cooper, a second round pick, and a fifth round pick to the Niners.

Cooper, entering the last year of his contract with the Browns and at the age of 30, re-worked his deal with the Browns to get a predominantly non-guaranteed contract altered. The Browns guaranteed the deal, gave him the ability to earn an extra $5 million in incentives, and still allowed for him to test free agency after the season.

It can’t be easy to hear your name in trade rumors, but Cooper also has to realize the business side of the game, where he is at in his career, and the status of the wide receiver room beyond the 2024 season.