Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper backed his quarterback Deshaun Watson after a lopsided 34-13 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The Browns’ offense had another miserable outing, managing just 212 yards — a number that was helped by some late-game plays with the game out of reach.
Watson was particularly painful to watch. Cleveland’s $230 million quarterback finished with 125 yards and one touchdown. The Browns averaged a measly 3.6 yards per play.
Watson’s play generated a lot of talk about Cleveland going in a different direction at quarterback with Jameis Winston. However, Cooper does not feel that Watson is the issue for the Browns’ struggling offense.
“To be honest, I don’t think Deshaun is the problem at all. We can always play better for him,” Cooper said after the game, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
Cooper’s production has also been below his standard this season. He had four catches on 10 targets for 60 yards against the Commanders. Cooper entered the game with 16 catches for 148 yards with two touchdowns — the majority of that production coming in a Week 3 loss to the Giants.
Amari Cooper Mentioned as Potential Trade Target
Cooper has been mentioned as a potential player on the trade block with the Browns struggling. He’s in the final year of his deal with the Browns and could be a key piece for a wide receiver-needy team like the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com doesn’t see a trade involving Cooper happening.
“The Browns are happy with their No. 1 receiver even as he tries to shake off his slow start and returns to his Pro Bowl form,” Cabot said ahead of Sunday’s game. “The Browns believe that Cooper is capable of his sixth Pro Bowl season this year, and have seen flashes of it this season. Likewise, Cooper knows what he has to do, and has been practicing with renewed intensity over the past two weeks, and honing in on the details of his game.”
Cooper said during the week that he was not aware of the rumors.
“I’m not aware of it,” Cooper said. “Usually, if I don’t have a good game, I try to stay off of social media. That’s one thing that I’ve learned because I can be kind of sensitive about the way that I play. And just being on social media, it does nothing but heighten that.
Browns Not Benching Deshaun Watson
Despite mounting calls for a change at quarterback, the Browns will not make one. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was very adamant about the decision after the game.
“We’re not changing quarterbacks. We need to play better. I need to coach better,” Stefanski said after the loss. “This is not a one-person issue on offense. We have the guys. We have the coaches. We will get things fixed.”
Stefanski’s statement on “fixing” the offense has become a weekly occurrence at this point. And if anything, the Browns took a step back against a Washington defense that struggled heading into the matchup.
The play-calling, which Stefanski handles, has also been under fire. Stefanski has called plays since arriving in 2020 but hired a new offensive coordinator this year in Ken Dorsey. Watson was asked about the play-calling but deferred to Stefanski.
“That’s a Kevin question,” Watson said.
Watson and the Browns will face the Philadelphia Eagles next week.
