The Cleveland Browns knew that they’d have to go through part of the offseason without their lead receiver, Amari Cooper, after he underwent core surgery back in February. Luckily for the team, Cooper is already back working with teammates, missing a fairly-minimal amount of offseason work, according to Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Cooper is a crucial returning member of the Browns offense. After a down 2021 season in Dallas that saw him fail to reach 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since the 2017 campaign, Cooper rebounded beautifully in Cleveland as a top target for quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson. He delivered a masterful performance in his age-28 season, catching 78 passes for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns while leading the team in all three categories.
Cleveland also returns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and tight end David Njoku, who ranked second and third on the team (respectively) in those different receiving categories, but after that pair, production dropped off dramatically, making Cooper’s presence in the offense that much more crucial. The Browns did trade for former New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore, who had varying levels of success in New York, and signed veteran Marquise Goodwin, who has historically been a strong contributor throughout his career. Those additions should take some of the pressure off of young receivers Cedric Tillman (2023 third-round pick out of Tennessee), David Bell, Anthony Schwartz and Jaelon Darden to be immediate contributors.
The team has also been exploring the possibility of reuniting Watson with his former Houston Texans teammate, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Having a top-three of Hopkins, Cooper and Peoples-Jones would improve the team’s talent in the room from good to elite. The addition of Hopkins has been deemed “unlikely,” but it’s still apparently on the table. With neither Hopkins nor Cooper, the Browns top-three receivers would be Peoples-Jones, Goodwin and Bell or Tillman, making Cooper’s return all the more relieving.
Cooper is back with plenty of time to get into shape ahead of the regular season. He’ll be working to get fully healthy while continuing to build on his rapport with Watson in preparation for a full season with the quarterback behind center.
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