Did Andrew Berry make the right move?
By: Michael Welsh
After some downtime, it has been a crazy week in the NFL. We saw Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz traded, Deshaun Watson rumors picked up, and on March 12th, The Browns traded for Dallas Cowboys wideout Amari Cooper. They only gave up a 5th and 6th round pick for the star pass catcher and a 6th round pick. Overall, I believe it was a major steal for the Browns.
Cleveland now has their WR #1 in Cooper as they look to revamp the offense from a weapons standpoint. This may lead to the end of the Jarvis Landry era in Cleveland, but at the end of the day, the NFL is a business. The addition of Cooper takes the offense to another level if he can remain healthy, and one can assume that Andrew Berry isn’t done with his aggressive moves. What does Cooper bring to the table?
For starters, Amari Cooper might be the best route runner in the league. This will bring a lot of structure to the Browns offense from a receiver standpoint. Odell Beckham Jr. did not work out in Cleveland for several reasons, but he was known as a freelancer on his routes, often looking for soft spots in the defense instead of running the route in the playbook. This caused countless miscommunications between him and quarterback Baker Mayfield. Cooper will be the exact opposite of that as he has a reputation for learning a playbook and sticking to it. This will help him get on the same page with Baker Mayfield, assuming he is the QB for Cleveland in 2022.
Cooper is only 27 years old as well, which means if he balls out for the Browns then he may land a long-term deal with them or another team in free agency. The trade is a win-win for both sides, which doesn’t always happen. Everywhere that Cooper has gone, he has produced good numbers, so there is a high probability that he produces well in Cleveland.
From a stats perspective, Amari Cooper has put up respectable numbers his entire career. In total, he has 517 receptions for 7,076 yards and 46 touchdowns, along with 3 Pro Bowl selections. He is going to bring elite playmaking skills to the Browns and help them take the top off of the defense. Last year he had more touchdown catches than the Browns wide receivers combined. That should give you an idea of how badly the team needs a player like him.
There is no telling what moves could happen for the Browns from here on out, but there is no doubt that trading for Amari Cooper is a big step in the right direction. Andrew Berry has been incredibly impressive as the Browns General Manager, relentlessly attacking the team’s weaknesses each off-season. Get your popcorn ready because he isn’t done yet.
