Deshaun Watson Sad To See Top WR Traded, Confident In Browns Remaining Weapons

With Amari Cooper gone, the Cleveland Browns are looking toward other wideouts to step up in his absence

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Life in the NFL can come at you fast. The Cleveland Browns found that out the hard way this week after news of a blockbuster trade that sent top wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills broke on Tuesday.

Cleveland also sent a 2025 sixth round pick in the deal, netting a 2025 third rounder and a 2026 seventh rounder in return. The move represents a major shakeup to a Browns offense that is statistically the worst in football in numerous categories.

One day after the trade was finalized, quarterback Deshaun Watson had an opportunity to address the loss of his top weapon, who he also developed a tight personal relationship with over the last three years.

The #Browns message is abundantly clear after trading Amari Cooper to the #Bills. They're officially onto 2025. https://t.co/XSHggTyDr4

— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) October 15, 2024

"Coop is my brother," said Watson. "These last three years we got to know each other not just on the field but especially off the field. Hanging out in the offseason. He helped me out through some tough times and vice versa. It's definitely tough to see a brother and see a teammate that mean a lot not just for myself but for the locker room, get traded away. But you gotta trust the organization and what [Andrew Berry] and Kevin [Stefanski] and those guys upstairs have planned."

At 1-5 on the season this may just be the beginning of what Berry and company have planned for the roser. Cooper is just the first, and perhaps most obvious trade domino to fall ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. After the failed contract extension talks earlier this year, it appeared that Cooper wasn't long for Cleveland.

Ultimately, the Browns reworked the final year of his current contract to guarantee the full $20 million base salary he was owed in 2024. That got him in the door for training camp, only for his name to then be floated in trade rumors for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk several weeks later. Despite all that, Watson says he never saw Cooper's attitude falter.

"There was never no bad energy of bad vibes when Amari was in this building," Watson said. "He was a big part of this locker room, big part of the leadership we had on this team, big part of this organization the last couple years. He's gonna be a great addition for Buffalo. We're gonna miss him. I wish we coulda stuck it out the rest of the year and you never know what could happen. But it's all gonna be good for sure."

A Cooper trade may have been in the works for several weeks now, but trading one of the most important voices in the locker also could send the wrong message to the rest of the team. Watson expressed an understanding that it's part of the business of football. Stefanski vowed that his players understand they're still prioritizing winning as well. There was also a general excitement on Wednesday that other players like Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and even Cedric Tillman will step up in Cooper's absence.

"I know that each one of those guys and the rest of those guys are capable of making big plays for this organization and for this team," said Watson. "The biggest thing is really just being able to build that confidence, build that relationship that I had with Coop and some of the other guys we had here before. And just keep telling them to play fast, play smart. Know what to do. And then whenever the opportunity comes just be ready for that ball. Once we can do that anything can happen and anything can be special."