After Odell Beckham Jr. whiff, Browns take another big swing at No. 1 WR in Amari Cooper – Cleveland Browns Blog

BEREA, Ohio — Three years ago to the month, the Cleveland Browns made a blockbuster trade for the player they believed would be their long-term No. 1 wide receiver for budding quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Odell Beckham Jr., however, never materialized into the Pro Bowl performer in Cleveland he had been for the New York Giants.

Instead, he had injuries. He produced distractions, like reportedly telling teams to “come get me” out of Cleveland during the 2019 season. Then, he essentially forced his way out in the middle of the 2021 season via his father, who posted a video on social media highlighting times when Mayfield either didn’t throw the ball to Beckham or missed him when he was open.

The Browns summarily released OBJ, who then went on to star again with the Los Angeles Rams on the way to winning a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Mayfield — playing with a torn labrum in his non-throwing, left shoulder since Week 2 — continued to struggle. Cleveland’s passing game collapsed. And the Browns missed the playoffs on the way to a disappointing 8-9 finish.

But as the Browns attempt to retool their beleaguered passing attack, they’ve now taken another massive swing at a big-name, would-be No. 1 wide receiver.

Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to trade wideout Amari Cooper to the Browns for a 2022 fifth-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The teams will also swap 2022 sixth-round picks.

In essence, Cleveland is banking that Cooper will be able to give its offense what Beckham never was able to — a legitimate go-to wide receiver.

Since he made his debut in Dallas in Week 9 of the 2018 season, Cooper has ranked eighth in the league in targets (428) among receivers, seventh in receptions (292), ninth in receiving yards (3,893) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (27), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

He…