The Cleveland Browns were in the media spotlight often during the 2021 season because of their wide receivers.
There were injuries and issues that plagued them practically from Week 1.
It was an exit filled with drama for Odell Beckham Jr. during the season, and not unexpectedly, Jarvis Landry was released.
That’s why the Browns trade with the Dallas Cowboys to acquire Amari Cooper on Saturday afternoon was a genius move by Browns GM Andrew Berry.
Your newest #Browns WR.
Welcome to Cleveland, Coop. @AmariCooper9 pic.twitter.com/ULYXEqWtBn
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) March 13, 2022
Cooper, who will turn 28 in June, is a perfect fit for the Browns, and here are the reasons why.
3. Not Very Active On Social Media
While this quality has nothing to do with Cooper’s football skills, it is important for the Browns.
Cooper has not posted a Tweet in nearly 6 years; that is practically unheard of among today’s professional athletes.
Amari cooper hasn't tweeted in 6 years hardly uses social media he's the opposite of obj completely different skill set younger https://t.co/vcAk5cMSnY
— Levert and Cavs stan (@CavsLevert) March 12, 2022
Considering the impetus for Beckham’s departure was an 11-minute video posted on social media by Odell Beckham Sr. which critiqued Baker Mayfield‘s abilities, Cooper’s relative silence is a welcome change.
Cooper lets his play on the field do the talking, and that is exactly what the Browns need right now.
This is not to say there is anything wrong with social media usage among players, but given the events of the 2021 season, the Browns could use a little breather in this area.
2. Great Mentor
Cooper’s former Cowboys teammate CeeDee Lamb begged for the Cowboys to keep Cooper.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb makes stern pitch for team to keep Amari Cooper
Source
USA TODAY pic.twitter.com/68o2WGiu2y— Law Nation Sports (@LawsNation) March 1, 2022
This speaks to his attitude, work ethic, and behavior in the locker room.
Cooper is a good teammate and perhaps more importantly to the Browns, a great mentor.
Lamb talked about how much he learned from Cooper and how generous Cooper was with his time to help Lamb.
1. Excellent Route Runner
A criticism of Beckham in Cleveland was that he sometimes was a freestyle route runner.
Cooper, on the other hand, is a disciplined route runner.
Freestyling is not how he operates.
This makes him an excellent component for the Browns’ offense which needs an experienced and skilled route runner.
How are we feeling, @Browns fans? 👀
Your New WR1 – Amari Cooper
aka THE ROUTE RUNNER 🔥#Browns x #NFL pic.twitter.com/ZxL5sL1jsT— BROWNS OR DIE 💀 (@BrownsorDie) March 13, 2022
Conclusion
The Cowboys’ loss is the Browns’ gain.
It remains to be seen if the Browns will sign a free agent veteran wide receiver to complement Cooper, or if the younger players will compete for the WR2 position behind him.
With Cooper in a Browns uniform, the pressure will fall squarely on Mayfield’s shoulders to develop the chemistry and achieve results with him.
Mayfield is in the prove-it year of his career.
The Browns are not talking to him about a contract extension, and he is playing under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract.
Berry is surrounding Mayfield with the right players to achieve results.
If those results do not happen in 2022, Berry will plug in a quarterback who can get it done with surrounding players like Cooper.
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