The Cleveland Browns continue to search for their footing after a 1-1 start that has been less than impressive, and big changes might prove necessary for them to find it.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report floated such a change on Wednesday, September 18, when he named wide receiver Amari Cooper as an honorable mention on his trade block big board ahead of Week 3.
Cooper has been Cleveland’s best receiver in each of the past two seasons, earning Pro Bowl honors last year with 72 catches for 1,250 yards and 5 TDs. This year, however, has been a far cry from his previous two efforts, as Cooper has caught just 5 passes for 27 yards.
Not all of that is the 30-year-old wideout’s fault. Deshaun Watson has picked up where he left off prior to a shoulder injury last year as consistently among the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Meanwhile, injury has ravaged the offensive line — particularly at the tackle positions.
Cooper is in the final season of his five-year, $100 million deal and was part of trade discussions around Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers before he re-upped in the Bay Area. Cooper can still help a good offense perform even better somewhere in the league, which he displayed over the past two campaigns.
The Browns will also likely have to pony up to keep Cooper in Cleveland long-term, which reads like a potentially disastrous play after the franchise absolutely fleeced the Dallas Cowboys for two great years out of the wideout in exchange for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round swap.
If the Browns can close the book on the Cooper chapter by exchanging him for a fourth-round pick, like the Los Angeles Chargers did with Keenan Allen, that might be the best outcome.
Browns Keeping Amari Cooper Makes Sense if Team Willing to Try QB Other Than Deshaun Watson
Of course, Cleveland is trying to succeed immediately and dealing Cooper would probably be a play to stack draft capital in 2025, which isn’t exactly a win-now sort of move.
But throwing good money after bad is essentially what the Browns are doing for as long as they hold onto the hope that Watson will ever regain his Pro Bowl form from the 2020 campaign.
If Cleveland isn’t willing to try Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the starting lineup — or willing to make a trade offer to the Carolina Panthers for Bryce Young/pursue some other QB acquisition — it’s hard to find the purpose in keeping Cooper on the roster.
He won’t be able to help the offense enough by himself to truly matter, and the Browns will waste a year on the back end of the receiver’s prime.
Amari Cooper Resetting Practice Routine to Improve Performance
Whether the Browns keep Cooper this season, trade him ahead of the November 5 deadline or face open negotiations with the wideout in March 2025, one thing is certain — the five-time Pro Bowler is making a push to get back into form after two lackluster performances to kick off a contract year.
“I went out there yesterday, I practiced like the game and that’s what I’m going to go and do every single day,” Cooper said on Thursday, per Scott Petrak of Browns Zone. “Just treat the practice like the game, attacking it just like I would the game. I can’t say I’ve necessarily been doing that, but that’s what I got to do.”
A better Cooper will certainly mean an improved offense in Cleveland, even if not an actual good one given the circumstances at QB, which the team is going to need. Dallas blew the Browns out in Week 1, while Cleveland was able to sneak past the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 2.
Coming up this Sunday is a home game against the New York Giants (0-2), which is of monumental importance as the Browns face three consecutive road contests in Weeks 4-6.
