Cleveland traded Amari Cooper and the Detroit Lions' sixth-round pick in 2025 to the Buffalo Bills for a 2025 third-rounder and a seventh-rounder in 2026.
Cooper leads the Browns in receptions (24), receiving yards (250), and touchdowns (2), where he is tied with Rodney McLeod but Cooper has dropped several passes this season, his chemistry with DeShaun Watson has been questionable, and his effort hasn't been as expected as Cooper appeared to be bothered by his name being mentioned in a potential trade in the offseason with the San Francisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk
The Browns reworked Cooper's contract in the offseason to make him cheaper under their cap and if the team decided to move on from him during the year, his contract would be easier for a trading team to absorb under their cap.
The Browns will carry twenty-five million of dead cap space for the 2025 season due to trading Cooper but felt the third-round pick was worth the dead cap hit.
If the Browns were 3-3, I'd wonder about the trade but at 1-5 for a player that isn't playing well for a team that would need a miracle to move into the playoff race, I'm ok with it.
The Raiders got a 3rd, that would become a 2nd if conditions were met for Davante Adams, so getting a third for Cooper is good value.
The problem is this- for the uneven play the Browns received from Cooper this season, he was still the team's biggest threat and most consistent pass catcher.
This moves Jerry Jeudy to the number one receiver spot, a role that he didn't flourish in for Denver, and someone who has played well in only one game this season and Cedric Tillman would move into the starting lineup.
Tillman is the player who dropped a pass thrown right to him that ended the Browns hopes of a late comeback against the Giants in the first of four consecutive defeats.
Elijah Moore has been invisible and rookie Jamari Thrash hasn't been active all season and they will be in the third and fourth roles.
This wasn't a good group with Amari Cooper, it's downright dreadful without him.
Another question is just what the Browns are thinking for the season.
If they are committed to winning and they say DeShaun Watson gives them the best chance to win, why would you move his most dependable (for what that's worth) skill player?
If you are committed to a rebuild, I understand the trade but if you aren't, it doesn't make sense unless you were convinced that a third-rounder was the ceiling for Cooper's trade value and were afraid that Buffalo would acquire someone else in the interim, which would reduce a potential return.
While I am usually in favor of non-contenders building their draft arsenal by moving players before the deadline, this time my thoughts are these.
1) Who or any of the Browns brain trust (and I use that very loosely) will be using these extra picks and could this be an attempt to sell Jimmy Haslam on giving any or all another chance to rebuild.
2) Do you really trust Andrew Berry/Paul DePodesta to draft well with these picks?
Considering the picks sent to Houston, this draft is extremely important to the Browns to bulk up the roster, and considering that Berry has drafted one offensive starter in his four drafts (the mediocre tackle Jedrick Wills) and only one impact player period (Jeremiah Owosu-Koahmoah in the second round in 2022), do you trust Berry and DePodesta to make these selections?
Berry has been fairly shrewd in his trades (not counting the awful deal for Watson), including the one that landed Amari Cooper to start with, but his drafting has ranged from average at best to awful, especially with his wide receiver and offensive line picks, do you trust him?
My answer for now is no.
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