Amari Cooper is being traded to Cleveland, but I’m not crazy about the fit. I don’t expect he’ll put up top-20 receiving numbers in that offense.
Cooper at least will be their top pass catcher. He’s a proven, solid receiver, and the Browns don’t have much else. They’re trying to trade Jarvis Landry, and I expect he’ll be released if they can’t deal him. Donovan Peoples-Jones (who has some downfield ability) probably will be their other starter, with perhaps speedy Anthony Schwartz developing enough to serve as their third option.
With Cooper having a big salary, the deal involves only late-round picks. The Browns are giving up fifth- and sixth-round choices, but they're also getting a a sixth-round pick back. Assuming Cooper passes his physical, the Cowboys get to unload his contract.
Cooper has been good at times, but I don’t think he’s a truly elite pass catcher. He’s not, in my opinion, one of the top dozen players at his position. The Cowboys felt he was overpaid, and we’re going to release him if they couldn’t deal him.
The Browns don’t look like the team that will bring him to life. At least as they are currently constructed. They’ve got Baker Mayfield at quarterback, and he’s been unable to progress beyond being a lesser starter. They also have Kevin Stefanski dialing up the plays, and his preference is to emphasize the run, with the wide receivers not seeing a ton of action.
Last year, Dallas’ wide receivers combined to catch 255 passes – 4th-most in the league. Cleveland’s wide receivers, on the other hand, caught a league-low 141 balls. The previous year, they ranked 30th in wide receiver receptions. Part of that can be attributed to Mayfield (just ask Odell Beckham’s dad), but they also simply don’t use their wide receivers much.
Cooper will be slotted modestly on my board. I expect he’ll be selected a few rounds before I would be considering him.
| RECEPTIONS BY WIDE RECEIVERS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| LA Rams | 286 | 3,964 | 13.9 | 32 |
| Buffalo | 284 | 3,299 | 11.6 | 22 |
| Tampa Bay | 282 | 3,503 | 12.4 | 26 |
| Dallas | 255 | 3,347 | 13.1 | 25 |
| LA Chargers | 252 | 3,171 | 12.6 | 22 |
| Arizona | 250 | 3,073 | 12.3 | 20 |
| Pittsburgh | 250 | 2,747 | 11.0 | 12 |
| Kansas City | 244 | 2,820 | 11.6 | 20 |
| Minnesota | 240 | 3,181 | 13.3 | 29 |
| Green Bay | 240 | 3,086 | 12.9 | 27 |
| Cincinnati | 236 | 3,551 | 15.0 | 25 |
| Jacksonville | 228 | 2,507 | 11.0 | 9 |
| Las Vegas | 223 | 2,889 | 13.0 | 16 |
| NY Jets | 222 | 2,649 | 11.9 | 14 |
| Baltimore | 216 | 2,420 | 11.2 | 10 |
| Miami | 207 | 2,244 | 10.8 | 14 |
| Houston | 203 | 2,463 | 12.1 | 15 |
| Detroit | 203 | 2,326 | 11.5 | 13 |
| Carolina | 196 | 2,257 | 11.5 | 10 |
| Tennessee | 194 | 2,435 | 12.6 | 13 |
| New England | 193 | 2,396 | 12.4 | 12 |
| Washington | 184 | 2,218 | 12.1 | 10 |
| Seattle | 181 | 2,547 | 14.1 | 24 |
| San Francisco | 181 | 2,777 | 15.3 | 17 |
| NY Giants | 180 | 2,163 | 12.0 | 5 |
| Indianapolis | 177 | 2,184 | 12.3 | 16 |
| Chicago | 176 | 2,269 | 12.9 | 9 |
| Denver | 171 | 2,257 | 13.2 | 8 |
| Atlanta | 159 | 1,736 | 10.9 | 9 |
| New Orleans | 155 | 2,141 | 13.8 | 16 |
| Philadelphia | 149 | 1,993 | 13.4 | 11 |
| Cleveland | 141 | 1,873 | 13.3 | 7 |
—Ian Allan