After Odell Beckham Jr. whiff, Browns take one other huge swing at No. 1 WR in Amari Cooper – Cleveland Browns Weblog

BEREA, Ohio — Three years in the past to the month, the Cleveland Browns made a blockbuster commerce for the participant they believed could be their long-term No. 1 huge receiver for budding quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Odell Beckham Jr., nevertheless, by no means materialized into the Professional Bowl performer in Cleveland he had been for the New York Giants.

As a substitute, he had accidents. He produced distractions, like reportedly telling groups to “come get me” out of Cleveland in the course of the 2019 season. Then, he basically forced his way out in the midst of the 2021 season through his father, who posted a video on social media highlighting occasions when Mayfield both did not throw the ball to Beckham or missed him when he was open.

The Browns summarily launched OBJ, who then went on to star once more with the Los Angeles Rams on the way in which to successful a Tremendous Bowl. In the meantime, Mayfield — enjoying with a torn labrum in his non-throwing, left shoulder since Week 2 — continued to battle. Cleveland’s passing recreation collapsed. And the Browns missed the playoffs on the way in which to a disappointing 8-9 end.

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However because the Browns try and retool their beleaguered passing assault, they’ve now taken another massive swing at a big-name, would-be No. 1 wide receiver.

Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to commerce wideout Amari Cooper to the Browns for a 2022 fifth-round choose, in accordance with ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The groups can even swap 2022 sixth-round picks.

In essence, Cleveland is banking that Cooper will have the ability to give its offense what Beckham by no means was in a position to — a authentic go-to huge receiver.

Since he made his debut in Dallas in Week 9 of the 2018 season, Cooper has ranked eighth within the league in targets (428) amongst receivers, seventh in receptions (292), ninth in receiving yards (3,893) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (27), in accordance with ESPN Stats & Data analysis.

He has a repute as a terrific route runner who can get open, which ought to enormously profit Mayfield, assuming the Browns persist with him as their quarterback.

ESPN’s Kimberley Martin has reported Cleveland has inquired about Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. A grand jury in Houston voted Friday to not indict Watson on felony costs. He nonetheless faces 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct throughout therapeutic massage classes.

Touchdown Cooper would certainly make the Browns a extra compelling vacation spot for Watson, who must waive a no-trade clause to return to Cleveland.

However assuming Browns basic supervisor Andrew Berry stays dedicated to Mayfield — as he has indicated publicly and in addition privately, in accordance with sources, this offseason — Cooper ought to bolster the Browns’ passing recreation and provides Mayfield the weapon he’ll have to ship a bounce-back season in his fifth yr in Cleveland.

In keeping with ESPN Stats & Data analysis, Mayfield posted the worst touchdown-to-interception ratio (6-to-10) to wideouts of any non-rookie within the NFL final yr. He additionally had the third-worst QBR (54.0) concentrating on huge receivers.

Mayfield didn’t play as much as his functionality with the shoulder damage, as he did not rekindle his sterling 2020 kind when he quarterbacked the Browns to their first playoff victory in 26 years. However Cleveland’s receiving corps — consisting of Beckham for lower than half the season, Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Ja’Marcus Bradley and rookie Anthony Schwartz — was underwhelming, as properly.

No Browns wideout topped 600 receiving yards, and solely Landry had greater than 35 receptions (the Browns have now granted Landry permission to hunt a commerce elsewhere, in accordance with Schefter).

Cooper ought to stress opposing defenses and unlock chunk passing performs in a means Cleveland’s receiving corps couldn’t final yr.

Throughout his time in Dallas, Cooper had one of the best vertical goal catch share (53.3%) of any receiver within the league with no less than 90 or extra vertical targets, in accordance with analysis by ESPN Stats & Data utilizing NFL Subsequent Gen Stats. He additionally tied for the fourth-most receiving touchdowns on vertical targets with 17, trailing solely Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers‘ Davante Adams and the Seattle Seahawks‘ Tyler Lockett.

In the meantime, in 29 video games with the Browns, Beckham had solely 26 catches on 73 vertical targets (35.6%) and simply 4 touchdowns on vertical routes.

The Browns may not be executed upgrading the receiving corps, both. They personal the No. 13 choose in April’s draft, which may give them the chance to pick out a blue-chip rookie receiver — like Ohio State’s Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson (who went to the identical Texas highschool as Mayfield), USC’s Drake London or Arkansas’ Treylon Burks — to enhance Cooper, which might utterly rework Cleveland’s receiving unit.

Both means, the Browns have already got their palms on that coveted No. 1 receiver.

This time, they’re banking Cooper might be one on the sector in Cleveland.