Deshaun Watson is not the only Cleveland Browns player under pressure during Week 3; Amari Cooper will be the top player to watch as the Browns take on the New York Giants at home for Week 3 of the NFL season.
Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Amari Cooper hasn't had the start to the 2024 season that anyone could have predicted. If someone had told me three weeks ago that Cooper had five receptions for 27 yards, I would have assumed he had a decent first quarter or a slow first half of a game.
Yet, here we stand, heading into Week 3, and those statistics are exactly where Cooper stands for the season. The offense in general has been disappointing, albeit with a few bright spots, but Cooper has been one of the season's biggest disappointments thus far. In Week 3, all eyes are on Cooper as he eyes a return to the elite player he was in the 10 seasons prior, and that makes him this week's top player to watch against the New York Giants.
So far Cooper has been plagued with drops. He's always been a big-body receiver, known around the league as an elite route runner. Browns' fans have gotten accustomed to his reliability during his tenure in Cleveland.
The Browns signed former Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy and offered him a massive contract outside his value at the time, but Jeudy has lived up to the hype thus far. Each week that Jeudy shines, Cooper's status as the No. 1 receiver is in jeopardy. It's one thing if Cooper is struggling to bring in contested balls, which has also occurred, but dropping the balls when he's wide-open and capable of scoring is unacceptable.
The good news is that Cooper is still displaying elite route running; in each week so far he has completely shredded thedefensive back at the line of scrimmage to get open downfield.
Unfortunately, he has to catch the ball when he's open, and it hits his hands. I fully expect Cooper's drops to fade in Week 3 and for him to produce a big game, especially with the Giants defense more inclined to focus on Jeudy. Cooper's production has not been due to a lack of targets, as he's seen 17 through the first two weeks, the highest among any Browns pass-catcher. Head coach, Kevin Stefanski, also doubled down on the notion that Cooper is just fine and will return to form in no time.
There could be several different reasons why Cooper has had such a slow start; Browns fans are quick to point out the lack of repetitions with quarterback Deshaun Watson due to holding out during contract negotiations.
During the offseason, Cooper and the Browns were able to come to terms with a new contract that added $5 million to his salary for 2024. I fully expect Cooper to shake off whatever is going on with him mentally, and explode in Week 3. Having two receivers capable of being a number one receiver is a great problem to have, and if Cooper is capable of returning to his previous form, it will only elevate Watson's QB play.
Regardless of Cooper's production at the end of the game on Sunday, fans will speculate one way or another about either his performance or lack thereof. He has been a consistent topic amongst fans, who are closely watching the production between Cooper and Jeudy, both of whom were paid well in the offseason, and forming their own opinions and making their assumptions. That's why he will be the top player to watch in Week 3 when the Browns kick off at home against the Giants.
