Amari Cooper calls first season with Browns 'cool,' but admits he 'left plays out there'

BEREA — Amari Cooper is coming to the end of his first season with the Browns. For the veteran receiver, it's been a mixed bag.

"I mean, it's been cool," Cooper said Thursday. "Scored a lot of touchdowns, made some plays. I'm really the type of player that oftentimes reflect back on the plays that I didn't make. I definitely feel like I left plays out there. But that's why we practice, that's why we work hard in the offseason, so we can come back the next season and be better. So that's what I plan on doing."

Cooper came to the Browns in March, when they acquired him and a 2022 sixth-round pick from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fifth- and sixth-round draft picks. He also restructured his contract to help create more than $15 million in cap space.

The move has certainly paid dividends for the Browns. Cooper has played like the No. 1 receiver they thought they were acquiring, with 76 catches for 1,109 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

Cooper is just 80 yards behind his career high for receiving yards, 1,189, which was set in 2019 with the Cowboys. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made it clear on Thursday that is a target they would love to see cleared in Sunday's finale at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"It means something to me," Van Pelt said. "I want to see these guys hit their personal bests. That is important to me. I think it is important to (coach) Kevin (Stefanski). These guys put all of the work in. Why not have their best years when we have the ability to capture those? Aware of where he is and aware of where (running back) Nick (Chubb) is, and (tight end) David (Njoku) needs some catches to be there, as well. That is in the forefront of mind at least. They deserve it.”

Cooper is coming off a three-catch, 105-yard, two-touchdown performance in the Browns' win at the Washington Commanders. It's one of five 100-yard receiving performances by him this season.

One of those was a 101-yard performance in the Browns' Week 3 win over the Steelers. That game featured a huge 32-yard catch by Cooper on third down that jump-started an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to put Cleveland ahead 23-14 on a TD run by Chubb.

Cooper acknowledged the idea of setting a career high in receiving yards is important. That's especially true since he's been playing the last month with what he's referred to as a core muscle injury, while also adjusting to a quarterback change from Jacoby Brissett for the first 11 games to Deshaun Watson for the previous five games.

"I would be lying if I said it wasn't," Cooper said. "Every year you want to get better because, like they say, if you're not getting better, you're getting worse. So you don't work real hard in the offseason and preseason to get worse. So, yeah, it's something that's very important to me."

Joel Bitonio, Jacoby Brissett win local awards from PFWA

Joel Bitonio and Brissett were honored with special awards on Thursday by the Cleveland chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Bitonio, the Browns' All-Pro left guard, received the PFWA's Joe Thomas Award. Brissett received the Dino Lucarelli Good Guy Award.

The Joe Thomas Award is given annually to the team's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by members of the PFWA. The Good Guy Award is given annually to a player for his cooperation with the media and for the way the player carries himself in the community and with his teammates.

Bitonio was named to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl this season. He's played every offensive snap over the course of the first 16 games, helping the Browns be one of the league's top rushing teams.

The only other Browns offensive line to win the award, given out annually since 2001 is the award's namesake, Thomas, who won it in 2014 and 2016. Defensive end Myles Garrett won the award the previous two seasons.

“I really do appreciate it," Bitonio said. "There's a lot of good players on this team — Nick Chubb, Amari (Cooper), Myles, guys that have played really at a high level. So just being in that group, to be in the conversation is pretty awesome. So I appreciate that. … It’s a very cool honor, and we have a lot of really good players on this team, so just to be in the conversation is pretty sweet. But just trying to do my best out there and help this team anyway I can.”

Brissett, who signed with the Browns one day after they acquired Watson in a trade with the Houston Texans, was thrust into the starting quarterback role when Watson's suspension was set at 11 games in mid-August. Despite the team going 4-7 in his starts, he led an offense that was ranked sixth in total yards at the end of his run, averaging 342.3 yards a game, and 11th in scoring at 23.9 points a game.

Bitonio and Garrett shared the award a year ago.

Damar Hamlin update is uplifting news to Browns

Van Pelt was in the midst of finishing up his standard Thursday press conference when the Buffalo Bills tweeted out that Damar Hamlin had "shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours" and that he "appears to be neurologically intact." That news was passed along to the Browns offensive coordinator, who couldn't hide his emotional reaction.

“It is great news," Van Pelt said, his voice choking up. "Great news. I will leave it at that.”

The Browns, like every team in the NFL, have struggled to deal with the emotions of witnessing Hamlin, the Bills' second-year safety, collapsing on the field during Monday night's game in Cincinnati. He's been in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center since being taken there after having been resuscitated on the field after his heart stopped.

So, to hear the news from Thursday, which was only heightened later by a press conference involving the doctors at UC, was a shot of good news in the Browns locker room.

“The biggest impact is all about Damar," Watson said. "We are praying for him. We are praying for his family. We are praying for the whole Bills organization. We are praying for all of the teammates in that locker room for the Buffalo Bills. I heard the same news before I came up to do my interview. I was reading the same thing. Our prayers are all for Damar, his family and the Buffalo Bills. We are pulling for him very, very strong.

"For us to be able to go to this week, of course, football, we have a job, but the whole NFL is thinking about him, and we are going to make sure that we are playing for him, praying for him and pulling for him. We want the best for everything to come back as best as possible.”

Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam joined many from around the league in donating to Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation Community Toy Drive GoFundMe. They donated $10,003 on Thursday, which has helped the total raised rise to more than $7.4 millions as of late that afternoon.

Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer doesn't 'plan on going anywhere else'

Special team coordinator Mike Priefer is one of two Browns' coordinators who has been mentioned often as a possibility to be replaced after the season, along with defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Priefer, who coached with Stefanski as fellow assistants with the Minnesota Vikings, has overseen a unit that has had its share of struggles over the last three seasons.

Priefer, though, discounted any talk about his future when asked about it on Thursday.

“No, I love it here," he said. "I am under contract. I don’t plan on going anywhere else. I am from Cleveland. I want to help Cleveland win a world championship. That is why I am here, and that is my focus.”

The Browns special teams have trended upward over the second half of the season. That's been in part because of the emergence of kick returner Jerome Ford and punt returner Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Ford, a rookie out of the University of Cincinnati, is fifth in the league with a 25.2-yard average on 25 returns. Peoples-Jones is averaging 12.4 yards, bolstered by a 76-yard touchdown return in Week 13 at Houston, on 18 returns.

The Browns are one of two teams to have won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week three times this season. Punter Corey Bojorquez was honored on Wednesday for his performance against Washington, while rookie kicker Cade York won it in Week 1 and Peoples-Jones did the same in Week 13.

“Like any team in the league, you are always going to have a play here or a play there," Priefer said. "The thing that I like about our guys is they bought in. They bought in since day one. They want to be great. They want to do the right fundamentals and techniques. With young players, you obviously have to continue to coach them and continue to make sure that they are doing the right things fundamentally.

"I really like the fact that these young players have stepped up the second half of the year and have done well for us, including Cade. Those blocked field goals were low — two of them were low kicks. I think our field goal protection has been outstanding all year. Going into this last game, we have to finish strong and set that foundation.”

Ethan Pocic misses Thursday's practice due to illness

The Browns were minus two starting offensive linemen during Thursday's practice, including right tackle Jack Conklin, who continues to miss as he recovers from an ankle injury sustained in the win at Washington.

The new addition to the injury report is center Ethan Pocic, who is battling an illness. Pocic was one of three newcomers to the report who did not practice on Thursday, along with offensive lineman Drew Forbes (personal reasons) and defensive end Isaiah Thomas (foot).

Cornerback Denzel Ward also didn't practice due to the shoulder injury suffered against the Commanders. Garrett had his second consecutive rest day as well.

Running back D'Ernest Johnson was back on the field in a limited capacity after missing Wednesday's practice with a shoulder injury.

Cade York to get an introduction to kicking in Pittsburgh

Priefer would be the first to tell anyone that it's tough kicking in the AFC North. It's not just about kicking at FirstEnergy Stadium, either.

Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium has also gained a reputation for being among the more difficult places in the league to kick, especially kicking toward the south end, which sits closest to the river. It's the latest introduction to a unique kicking environment that York will have to go through.

"We got a little bit of a weather report today that it is not supposed to be as bad as it could be in Pittsburgh," Priefer said. "I think that open end of the stadium intimidates anybody when you are watching it from afar or watching it on tape. When he gets in there on Sunday morning and starts warming up late morning, I think that will be real important for him to understand how the wind is working in that stadium. Hopefully, it won’t be too bad.”

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Amari Cooper vows to improve after 'cool' first season with Browns