Most Cleveland fans have been very pleased with Amari Cooper ever since he was traded to the Browns. And how could they not be? He has put up really good numbers and perhaps most importantly, he’s been reliable. That is, until the 2024 season.
Amari Cooper has definitely had dropped passes in his career. So far in 2024, drops seem to be an actual problem. Not only are they drops, but they have been happening when he’s wide open. He had one for sure touchdown in week 1 against the Cowboys, and against Jacksonville there very well could have been one more. Instead he finished with 2 catches on 9 targets for 16 yards against Dallas and 3 catches on 8 targets for only 11 yards against the Jaguars. So what is going on with him?
It appears there could be a few things wrong with Amari Cooper. The most obvious one is that it’s a mental issue. One big drop can easily turn into another. These guys are human after all. But it isn’t like Cooper to let an issue like that linger. So is he unhappy with the Browns? Some fans think so. We can’t forget that it was rumored that he was apart of a trade package that would have sent him to the 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk. There is no way to know if this is true, but it is something worth noting for sure. Especially with his Instagram post during the trade rumor.
Odds are, these issues will be worked out as the season goes on. The only reason it is a little concerning is that it’s been back to back bad games for Cooper. He is approaching 30 and we’ve seen wide receivers get up there in age and suddenly fall off a cliff. Hopefully that isn’t happening to Amari, but it is something to consider.
Jerry Jeudy is slowly becoming WR1 for the Browns in the young season, so we could see Kevin Stefanski shift his offensive focus away from Cooper if he doesn't get out of this funk. Time will tell and I would not say it is time to hit the panic button yet, but these struggles from Amari Cooper need to be monitored.
