Amari Cooper vows to improve after ‘cool’ first season with Browns
BEREA − Amari Cooper is coming to the end of his first season with the Browns. For the veteran receiver, it’s been a mixed bag.
“I mean, it’s been cool,” Cooper said Thursday. “Scored a lot of touchdowns, made some plays. I’m really the type of player that oftentimes reflect back on the plays that I didn’t make. I definitely feel like I left plays out there. but that’s why we practice, that’s why we work hard in the offseason so we can come back the next season and be better. So that’s what I plan on doing.”
Cooper came to the Browns in March, when they acquired him and a 2022 sixth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth- and sixth-round draft pick. He also restructured his contract to help create more than $15 million in cap space.
The move has certainly paid dividends for the Browns. Cooper has played like the No. 1 receiver they thought they were acquiring, with 76 catches for 1,109 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
Cooper is just 80 yards behind his career high for receiving yards, 1,189, which was set in 2019 with the Cowboys. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made it clear on Thursday that is a target they would love to see cleared in Sunday’s finale at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It means something to me,” Van Pelt said. “I want to see these guys hit their personal bests. That is important to me. I think it is important to (coach) Kevin (Stefanski). These guys put all of the work in. Why not have their best years when we have the ability to capture those? Aware of where he is and aware of where (running back) Nick (Chubb) is, and (tight end) David (Njoku) needs some catches to be there, as well. That is in the forefront of mind at least. They deserve it.”
Cooper is coming off a three-catch, 105-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Browns’ win at the Washington Commanders. It’s one of five 100-yard receiving performances by him this season.
One of those was a 101-yard performance in the Browns’ Week 3 win over the Steelers. That game featured a huge 32-yard catch by Cooper on third down that jump-started a 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to put Cleveland ahead 23-14 on a Chubb run.
Cooper acknowledged the idea of setting a career high in receiving yards is important. That’s especially true since he’s been playing the last month with what he’s referred to as a core muscle injury, while also adjusting to a quarterback change from Jacoby Brissett for the first 11 games to Deshaun Watson for the previous five games.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Cooper said. “Every year you want to get better. Because like they say, if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. So you don’t work real hard in the offseason and preseason to get worse. So, yeah, it’s something that’s very important to me.”