4 Takeaways: Cleveland Browns practice featured a struggling passing game
By Randy Gurzi
2. Austin Hooper has fit in nicely
Adding Austin Hooper this off-season was a stroke of brilliance by first-year general manager Andrew Berry. Hooper was a third-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons and the former Stanford Cardinal developed into one of the better receiving tight ends in the NFL.
That was one of the biggest reasons the Browns were attracted to Hooper in the offseason and why they made him a very handsomely paid player. Since joining the team, Hooper has shown to be a great fit. He had another solid day on Saturday, it was praised by both Mark Sessler of the NFL Network and Nathan SZegura of ClevelandBrowns.com.
Facts. Hooper has been consistently excellent in the early going https://t.co/oBFwjFirQz
— Nathan Zegura (@NathanZegura) August 22, 2020
What’s really great about Hooper though, is that he’s a capable player in every facet of the game. In head caoch Kevin Stefanski’s wide zone system, he’s going to be asked to do a lot of blocking. And thankfully, he’s up to the task.
Hooper didn’t get a lot of credit for this during his time in Atlanta, but he knows what he’s doing in this department. Still, the way he’s gonna make his money — and make his name as a member of the Cleveland Browns — is by catching the ball. And so far he’s been in unison with quarterback Baker Mayfield and has done a wonderful job hauling and everything that’s come his way.
Mayfield has shown so far in his young career that he likes to target his tight ends in the red zone and Hooper gives him the best weapon he has had in this department. On Saturday, he just showed us a little more to get excited about as the 6-to-81 connection is going to be fun.