Since 2022, the Cleveland Browns have had high hopes that their pairing of Deshaun Watson with Amari Cooper would yield one of the best quarterback-receiver duos in the league.
Injuries and off-the-field issues have limited Watson’s ability to play over the past two seasons in Cleveland, but Cooper has finished each of his first two years in Cleveland with over 1,000 receiving yards.
To start the 2024 regular season, neither player has excelled, but the combination especially has not clicked.
Watson has targeted Cooper 17 times in two games, and the receiver has hauled in only five of those passes for 27 yards.
Despite the lack of production, Watson still believes that the connection will finally emerge this season.
The X account 92.3 The Fan shared Watson’s thoughts on his lack of a connection with Cooper thus far, suggesting that the defensive schemes have hampered their ability to connect through the first two contests.
“It’s part of the game,” Watson said, adding, “We never lose faith in each other. It’s a long season and we’ve just to continue to work and figure it out, but when we do get it to click, it’s going to be exciting for both of us.”
#Browns QB Deshaun Watson on lack of connection with WR Amari Cooper: "It's part of the game. We never lose faith in each other. It's a long season and we've just to continue to work and figure it out, but when we do get it to click, it's going to be exciting for both of us."
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) September 18, 2024
The quarterback looked better in the team’s second contest against Jacksonville, upping his completion percentage above 64 percent for the game by completing 22 of 34 passes for 186 yards.
Cooper caught three passes of Watson’s passes for just 11 yards on the afternoon.
Watson connected with the team’s newest wide receiver – Jerry Jeudy – five times for 73 yards in the 18-13 victory, showing promise that when he and Cooper can finally connect, the results should be impressive.
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