After going through organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp in May and June, the Cleveland Browns will now turn their attention to training camp, which begins next month.
There’s a lot of intrigue surrounding Cleveland’s training camp as the team has four different quarterbacks competing for the starting job. In addition to the QB battle, several roster spots are up for grabs, as this roster is nowhere near a finished product.
Over the next several weeks, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Browns make many changes to the 90-man roster in hopes of finding potential starters/instant contributors on both sides of the ball for the 53-man unit.
That said, if a prospective free agent is still waiting for a call, the Browns could be one of the few teams looking to add a veteran or two.
Ex-Browns Star WR Amari Cooper Among FA Vets Still Unsigned
Like we see most years, there are still several vets sitting on the open market, including former Browns star wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Cooper and Keenan Allen are the two biggest-name free-agent WRs who haven’t been signed yet, which is surprising given their resumes. Having said that, Cooper had a down 2024 season with the Browns and Buffalo Bills after ripping off back-to-back 1,000-plus yard receiving campaigns in 2022 and 2023.
Last season, Cooper had 24 receptions (53 targets) for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games with the Browns. Cleveland parted ways with the veteran wideout ahead of the trade deadline, sending Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Bills in exchange for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick.
After getting off to a slow start with the Browns, there was a belief that the veteran wideout would get back on track in Buffalo, as they didn’t have a bona fide WR1, but had an MVP candidate at QB (Josh Allen).
However, that didn’t come to fruition for the ex-Browns pass catcher. Cooper had 20 receptions (32 targets) for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight games (four starts).
He also had two drops in Buffalo, which was a drastic improvement from what he did earlier in the 2024 season with the Browns (10). While those stats are all good, Cooper didn’t make a huge impact in the Bills’ offense in the playoffs, finishing with only six receptions (eight targets) for 41 yards and a touchdown.
With all that being said, one has to wonder what’s next for Cooper. Was the veteran wideout’s performance in 2024 an indicator of potential things to come? Or can he turn back the clock to 2022 and 2023, where Cooper still looked like a WR1?
It’s a good question to ponder that he won’t have an answer to until he signs elsewhere. Cooper hopes to find a new home before training camp kicks off next month, but it's not looking good for the ex-Brown with free agency at a standstill.