The Cleveland Browns got the band together and train-robbed the Dallas Cowboys to acquire star wide receiver Amari Cooper. All it took to trade for the former fourth-overall pick was a fifth and sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2018 the Dallas Cowboys used a first-round pick to acquire Cooper from the Las Vegas Raiders.
Amari Cooper Trade: How he fits in Cleveland
Cleveland was lacking weapons even before the departure of Odell Beckham Jr. He was never a good fit with the organization, even if he was a decent schematic fit in Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
It appears the Cleveland Browns are attempting to make it so Baker Mayfield has absolutely no excuses for underwhelming play in 2022. They used the franchise tag on David Njoku and have now acquired one of the best route runners in the league.
The fit in Stefanski’s scheme is beautiful. Cooper has the ability to immediately separate at the line of scrimmage, but he is best as a second-level route runner. Mayfield needs to be able to consistently hit those throws if he wants to be successful at the NFL level.
Luckily for him, Cooper is outstanding at adjusting to slightly off-target passes in the air. But he can also win vertically with his ability to stack defensive backs and use his 4.42 speed to separate downfield.
Cooper must remain healthy to elevate the Browns’ passing attack
There may not be many missed games on Cooper’s sheet, but that doesn’t mean he’s not been banged up throughout almost the entirety of his Cowboys career.
Cooper suffers from plantar fasciitis and suffered multiple ankle injuries during his time in Dallas. Although I am no doctor, we hear all the time how turf fields are the cause of many ACL tears. In a similar vein, Cooper’s lower body injuries could be attributed to the fact that a 220-pound receiver simply shouldn’t be able to change direction the way he does.
The Browns play on Kentucky Bluegrass grass, so there’s a good chance Cooper can mitigate some of his lower-body issues in Cleveland.
Second-level route running could unlock Browns’ passing attack
I didn’t hit on this quite enough earlier. Everything works together here. Cooper is an explosive route runner with outstanding size and the ability to bend while maintaining speed through hard breaks. But unlike many of the route runners in the league, his frame can also withstand the punishment of physical cornerbacks along the stem.
This makes him almost impossible to stick with on intermediate in- and out-breaking routes. Remember that infamous backside dig that Mayfield and OBJ failed to connect on? If Cooper and Mayfield can’t hit on those, it won’t be because of anything Cooper does wrong. He’ll be open.
Because of the constant lower body issues, Cooper may not play until he’s 31. But he will have a few more seasons of top-15 level play if he has a quarterback that can help facilitate his production in an offense that actually features their star weapons.