After sitting out of every preseason contest, the Cleveland Browns looked to quarterback Deshaun Watson and star wide receiver Amari Cooper to make the new-look offense work.
For much of the Browns’ 33-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, it didn’t.
The offense sputtered and stalled most of the game, a feature analysts attribute to Watson’s inability to make throws to his wide receivers.
In an interview after the team’s loss, Cooper did not pin the blame solely on the quarterback, suggesting the team’s inability to protect Watson behind the line of scrimmage also contributed to the signal caller’s poor play against the Dallas Cowboys.
Analyst Camryn Justice shared the video on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – of Cooper discussing his thoughts on Watson’s performance in the loss.
“It’s frustrating; you always want to protect your quarterback, especially like you just mentioned coming off the surgery,” Cooper said.
#Browns WR Amari Cooper in the locker room after today's loss to the Cowboys discussing Deshaun Watson's performance, how many hits Watson took today, what gives him confidence they can right the ship and the lack of first downs. pic.twitter.com/MxLppvATyq
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 9, 2024
Cooper noted that while Watson was healed fully following shoulder surgery he underwent last year, the quarterback could not take as many hits in future games while giving the Browns a chance to win.
The wide receiver placed the blame on Watson’s excessive hits – Pro Football Reference credits the Cowboys with 21 QB hits against the Browns – on everyone on the team and not just the quarterback.
“Like us receivers, we can get into our routes faster and things of that nature,” Cooper said.
The Browns will get an opportunity to redeem their offensive performance on Sunday when Cleveland travels to Jacksonville and faces the Jaguars.
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