What’s wrong with Amari Cooper? Reason behind star WR’s absence in Browns’ win vs Jets on TNF

Amari Cooper has been Cleveland Browns' top receiving weapon in 2023, amassing a career-high 1,250 years and turning the team and its prospects around. On Thursday, against the New York Jets, they won 37-20 to clinch the second playoff berth of the Kevin Stefanski-Andrew Berry era.

However, the four-time Pro Bowler had been nursing an ankle injury and was listed as questionable on Wednesday after missing prior practices throughout the week. Hours before the game, he was ultimately ruled out.

Mike Garafolo managed to capture footage of Cooper struggling to find his groove during warm-ups—the exact moment when he decided that the injury was not worth playing through:

But the Browns would ultimately prove to be offensively prolific without him. Running back Jerome Ford had two touchdowns; former Jet Elijah Moore scored another; and tight end David Njoku led all receivers with 134 yards from six catches.

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Can Amari Cooper make his fifth career Pro Bowl in his second season with the Browns?

As is well known already, the Cleveland Browns represent the third team of Amari Cooper's career.

Initially drafted by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2015, he immediately made an impact, breaching 1,000 yards and making the Pro Bowl. He would repeat both feats in 2016, while also playing a huge role in clinching their first playoff appearance since the death of former owner Al Davis (it would also be the Raiders' last before they moved to Las Vegas).

A 2018 midseason trade to the Dallas Cowboys did not stop his momentum, as he would make two more Pro Bowls and parlay that into a five-year, $100-million extension in 2020. However, the 2021 emergence of CeeDee Lamb necessitated a change in scenery, which he got in 2022 via a trade to the Browns.

Since then, Cooper has continued to be immensely prolific, and while making a fifth Pro Bowl is not really among his goals, he will not mind if it occurs. Speaking earlier this month, he said:

"It means a lot. I'll be lying if I say I didn't play for respect. I think every player plays for the respect of his peers. For the Pro Bowl, the players and other committees vote, so it's more of a respect thing."

The 2024 Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on January 3.