Amari Cooper will get traded to Cleveland Browns
Amari Cooper is an effective receiver. He’s not so good as Odell Beckham Jr. was when he left New York for Cleveland although. Certain, there are some arguments you could possibly make in opposition to the latter assertion. For instance, maybe Cooper hasn’t been a real No. 1 in Dallas since CeeDee Lamb obtained there. Uncertain, however I can see the argument. Maybe Cooper is a greater slot in Cleveland than OBJ? Perhaps, however they’re fairly comparable receivers by way of what they carry to the desk, so as soon as once more, it’s uncertain.
Cooper might declare he’s the best receiver in the league, however he’s struggled to garner that repute on his personal group, not to mention throughout the NFL. Now, he strikes to an offense that runs the ball extremely ceaselessly. In reality, the Browns have been the one group within the NFL that ran the ball on greater than 47 percent of their plays final season to complete the common season with a shedding report. They ran the ball over 6 p.c extra ceaselessly than the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cowboys have been persistently forward in video games — 48.3 p.c run-pass ratio in CLE to 42.2 p.c in DAL. That they had incentive to run the ball. Cleveland, not as a lot. Yeah, I don’t suppose Cooper goes to interrupt out subsequent season, particularly if the Browns preserve trotting Baker Mayfield onto the sphere.
Since 2018, Cooper has all the time thrived across the deep intermediate a part of the sphere. His common depth of goal has by no means dipped under 8.8 since then and by no means risen larger than 12.5. For comparability, Deebo Samuel, a infamous YAC/quick yardage receiver, has recorded marks of seven.5, 2.2, and eight.4 in his three yr profession. On the opposite finish, Mike Williams, well-regarded as a deep risk for the Chargers up till final season, recorded ADoT’s of 12.7, 16.6, and 12.4 between 2018 and 2020. Cooper works in between the 2, perhaps slightly extra towards the latter, however nonetheless intermediate nonetheless.
Mayfield has all the time struggled in that intermediate-to-deep vary. In 2020, arguably one of the best season of his profession, Mayfield ranked twenty third in intermediate throw IQR, a measure of a quarterback’s effectivity, much like passer ranking that supposedly eliminates components out of the quarterback’s management corresponding to dropped passes and throwaways. Sure, Prescott ranked decrease than Mayfield that season, however Prescott additionally solely performed in 5 video games that yr. Mainly, even in his finest season, Mayfield isn’t actually all that nice when throwing the place Cooper thrives.
Remember the fact that Browns’ WR Jarvis Landry was given permission to hunt a commerce at present as nicely.
The Browns don’t have a dependable goal outdoors of Cooper and Landry presently. With out Landry, groups are going to focus extra consideration on Cooper in protection. With Mike Williams re-signing with the Chargers, and Chris Godwin being franchise tagged and dealing on an extension with the Bucs, there aren’t too many nice large receivers left out there. Each JuJu Smith-Schuster and Allen Robinson are nonetheless free brokers. Perhaps the Browns might give attention to signing one in all them, however their time would doubtless be higher spent attempting to commerce for an improve at quarterback.
All this being stated, I nonetheless suppose it is a strong deal for Cleveland. A fifth and a sixth? That’s all for a man who’s contemporary off an 865 yard, eight landing season that was one of many worst of his profession and a sixth-rounder? Yeah, I’ll take that any day of the week. Though Cooper will not be used as successfully as he, or any followers, would love, he’s undoubtedly value what the Browns gave up. They took benefit of Dallas’s terrible cap scenario and obtained their substitute for OBJ.
Beckham confirmed that he nonetheless had tons left in his tank after being traded away from the Browns. He had merely been the sufferer of an offense that didn’t use him. Many individuals thought of him washed by the point he began complaining about his goal share. I worry the identical destiny might befall Cooper in 2022. Whereas Cooper remains to be a tremendously gifted receiver and well-respected throughout the league, his expertise will kind of go to waste in Cleveland’s run-heavy offense.
