Where Does Amari Cooper Rank Among Wide Receivers?

In his first season with the Cleveland Browns, Amari Cooper had 1,178 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, most of which came with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. Cooper helped the Browns establish an effective trio along with tight end David Njoku and fellow wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. These are all reasons it makes sense that Cooper ranked 22nd in PFF's top wide receivers entering 2023 written by Sam Monson.

Monson wrote the following on Cooper:

"Cooper makes every offense he steps into better. He has now demonstrated this knack for the Raiders, Cowboys and Browns in the NFL, yet the discussion about Cooper tends to center too often around his deficiencies. A receiver who is good at everything, Cooper is an excellent weapon whose only real issue is consistency."

Cooper is a true X. He's got size and strength in addition to speed and route running. And even with nearly 1200 yards and nine touchdowns, there's a feeling that production is somehow pedestrian. There's an anticipation for the next guy.

Some of that is born out of the fact that Cooper probably has two years left in Cleveland, but this was the case when he was with the Dallas Cowboys. The fact that he's relatively quiet and doesn't draw much attention to himself likely plays a role. It seems as if there's an assumption that his numbers are much lower than they are.

Before the Browns acquired Cooper, they had virtually nothing. Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry had both been released and DPJ was the top guy followed by players like Anthony Schwartz. Cooper instantly gave the Browns credibility. An offense that was expected to struggle was among the top ten in the league with Brissett at quarterback.

The Dallas Cowboys missed clearly missed Cooper this past season. There were other factors at play including Michael Gallup's recovery from knee surgery, but it hurt them all year long. They immediately went out this offseason and acquired Brandon Cooks to fill that role. Cooks is also on this list, but 26th.

Cooper is still recovering from core muscle surgery, but he's going to be ready to go for training camp. Deshaun Watson has plenty to prove in his second year with the Browns, but should be better. The team also added more weapons this offseason. the Browns traded for Elijah Moore, signed Marquise Goodwin and drafted Cedric Tillman.

All of those elements could enable Cooper to have a more efficient 2023 season. Teams will have a difficult time giving extra attention to Cooper, which could allow him to create additional separation and make bigger plays.