Amari Cooper hasn’t been in Cleveland for long, but the veteran wideout is already taking on a leadership role with the Browns. He’s ready to help as a veteran presence with an otherwise young receiving corps in Browns minicamp this week, as he told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.
Cooper didn’t have to be a prominent leader in Dallas, which was loaded with vets on both sides of the ball during his three-plus seasons with the Cowboys. But it’s not a big leap for the 27-year-old (he turns 28 this week) Cooper, now entering his eighth NFL season.
“One of the things I didn’t realize when I was a younger player, is that being a leader is easy when you have experience,” Cooper told Anderson. “It’s not hard. Because everything that those young guys go through, I mean, everything — you’ve been through it.”
Cooper understands that not every player benefits from in-your-face leadership. Or, in his words,
“You don’t overdo it. Sometimes you’ve got to let those guys actually make the mistakes.”
As for the quarterback issue, Cooper has no problem catching passes from both Deshaun Watson and Jacoby Brissett. Watson’s ongoing legal issues call his availability into question, which means Brissett is getting lots of work with the first-team offense this offseason too.
“It hasn’t been that hard,” Cooper said. “It’s a testament to those guys, they’re both good players. Makes my job easier.”