3 standouts (and 2 duds) in Browns preseason finale against Chiefs
• Rookie WR is the real deal
• Browns new centerfielder delivers
By Randy Gurzi
Browns stud: Amari Cooper, WR
The starters were out there for a huge portion of the first half and that included Amari Cooper. The veteran wideout hardly ever plays in the preseason but head coach Kevin Stefanski got him a few reps, which should help him prepare for their Week 1 showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals in two weeks.
Just like Cedric Tillman, Cooper didn't get a lot of targets but he made the most of them. Three passes were thrown toward Cooper and while two of them were out of his reach, there was a perfect pass that landed right in his arms for a 53-yard gain.
While this went down as his only reception, it wasn't the only time he impacted the game. During their second touchdown drive of the day, Watson was under pressure and wanted to go deep for Cooper.
The wide receiver was open for a brief second, as he got past two defensive backs, but Watson couldn't get the pass off due to pressure in his face. By the time he was free, he couldn't get it to Cooper since the defenders had caught up. Watson was sacked and it looked to be a two-yard loss.
That wasn't the case, however, as there was a flag thrown for holding. When Cooper got past Chamarri Conner, the Chiefs defensive back grabbed his jersey, which is how he was able to keep him from running free toward the end zone.