BEREA, Ohio – If you ask any Cleveland Browns player, there’s only one goal that matters this Sunday when the Browns face the Houston Texans in the AFC Championship Game.
That’s a win.It’s very possible that receiver Amari Cooper and kicker Dustin Hopkins will do something during the game that no Browns player in franchise history has done since at least 1965.
Cooper has 61 receptions for 985 yards and three touchdowns.
Additionally, Cooper is averaging 16.1 yards per reception.
With just 15 yards, Cooper would reach 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season
. In 2022, Cooper had 1,160 yards on 78 receptions. In Browns history, 13 players have had 14 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
No Browns receiver has recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in franchise history since the team’s founding in 1946, including Dante Lavelli, Mack Speedy, Paul Warfield and Ozzie Newsome.
Ravelli has never had a 1,000-yard season in his career.
When asked about Cooper on Friday, Kevin Stefanski said no Browns receiver has ever had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. ‘Correct? “Wow.”
Stefanski said. Stefanski was asked if Cooper exceeded his expectations when he traded him.”I don’t know,” he said.
“I mean, he’s been very productive wherever he’s been before, in high school, college and pro.
So I can’t say that Amari’s success surprised me. I have enjoyed working with Amari over the past few years.
He’s a great guy, works really hard at his craft, and like I said before, he’s a great trail runner.
But I was amazed at the way he worked and how that applied on the football field as well.
“In addition to induction into the Hall of Fame, the Browns have had many great receivers with 1,000-yard receiving seasons in history, including Webster Slater, Kevin Johnson, Antonio Bryant, Terrelle Pryor, Josh Gordon, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Gary Barnidge. I did. , Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham.
However, neither has reached 1,000 yards in back-to-back years.
The closest player to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons is Landry, who had 976 yards in 2018 and 1,174 yards in 2019.
The only Browns player to have a 1,000-plus-yard season was Newsome, who had 1,002 yards in 1981 and 1,001 yards in 1984.
Gordon set the record for most receiving yards in a season in 2013 with 1,646 yards.
Last Sunday against the Bears, Cooper had four receptions for 109 yards, including a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Cooper has 34 100-yard receiving games and 58 touchdowns.In 2023, he crossed 100 meters four times.
Cooper said he was surprised no other Browns receivers accomplished the feat.”It’s a little surprising, but at the same time it’s not,” Cooper said. “
Obviously, there were a lot of guys here that had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. But extenuating circumstances arise and the boys suffer.
“So it’s not an easy task for me. It’s just being able to come here every day and be consistent for my teammates and the team.”
Cooper, 29, has reached 1,000 yards in six of the last eight seasons.Stefanski was amazed at what Cooper did. “He’s a great football player,” Stefanski said.
“You’re always trying to find a way for Amari to get the ball.
… He’s a very skilled player, he made big plays for us in this ball game and we need him.”
And then there’s Hopkins, who was acquired for a 2025 seventh-round pick in an Aug. 28 trade with the Chargers after quarterback Cade York struggled with consistency in the preseason. .
Hopkins scored two touchdowns against the Bears, including a 34-yard game-winner with 32 seconds left.
He has four interceptions and is 33 of 36 this season. Hopkins’ 33 goals in a season are tied for the most by a Browns player, surpassing Phil Dawson’s 30 in 2008.
Hopkins scored 121 points this season, second most much of the season by Brown.
Jim Brown tied the franchise record with 126 points in a season, and Hopkins fell five short of that goal.
Stefanski was impressed with what Hopkins had accomplished in such a short time. – Yes.
A man who is there when we need him, we trust him,” said Stefanski. “
He’s been a weapon for us since the beginning of the game and I think he’ll be a great fit for us off the field as well.”
