<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Emz4R_0w81bRFg00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Emz4R_0w81bRFg00" width="1280" height="993" ><figcaption>The Cleveland Browns traded Amari Cooper on Tuesday, showing where they truly are in 2024. John Kuntz, cleveland.com</figcaption></figure>CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s a slogan the Browns have adopted over the Kevin Stefanski era.“We’re just trying to go 1-0 every week."It’s one that’s the peak of athletic mindfulness, all about not looking too far ahead. It especially served them well in 2023. Last week, with the Browns at 1-4, it was still more of the same talking points, even from wide receiver Amari Cooper.Week 7 NFL Preview: Find everything you need to know with our <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/sports/previews/nfl-week-7/">Week 7 NFL preview.</a>“You going to either do two things, win or lose,” Cooper said on Thursday. “Unfortunately we lost the game, but the mindset doesn’t change. We felt like we prepared well, but sometimes the cookie just crumbles that way. But again, we’re looking to regroup and go out there and get a dub this week."The Browns did not, in fact, get a win against the Eagles in their next game. And now Cooper is a Buffalo Bill, as the <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2024/10/browns-trade-amari-cooper-and-6th-rounder-to-bills-for-a-3rd-and-7th.html">Browns traded him on Tuesday afternoon with the deadline still three weeks away</a>.It’s a move that, to me, is the first real acknowledgement of where the Browns actually are in the 2024 season — and it’s obviously not good.And don’t get me wrong. I understand the decision to move Cooper now. He was in the final year of his deal. With his contract restructured, and most of his 2024 salary converted to a signing bonus, it was also trade-friendly. It seemed like Cooper, 30, was on his way out after this season anyway, so this was an easy way for the Browns to get something back for a player they acquired in spring of 2022 for a fifth-round pick (A third-rounder and two 1,000-yard seasons out of that initial trade with Dallas is still a pretty good flip for one draft pick).But it just seemed like this year, something was missing for the five-time Pro Bowler.Ever the thoughtful professional, Cooper would never publicly admit what, if anything, was bothering him.But we can make some educated guesses.But the Browns never offered him an extension, <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2024/07/why-holding-out-this-offseason-was-a-difficult-decision-for-amari-cooper-and-what-he-hopes-for-his-future-with-the-browns.html">even when he said he would love to spend the rest of his career here</a>. Then his name popped up in trade rumors, including the possibility of dealing him to the 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk.While he brushed off those questions, his production was inconsistent.He’s leading the league with nine dropped passes, including two sure touchdowns in each of the first two weeks, a loss to the Cowboys and a win over the Jaguars. He seemed to have communication miscues with Deshaun Watson, as the Browns overhauled their offense.But Cooper was still the team’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 250 yards and two TDs. So yes, while for the future this is a deal that makes sense for both parties, this is the first meaningful move for the Browns signaling what most of us have suspected at 1-5: The season is, for all intents and purposes, over. It’s a lost year, and in a season where the Browns were supposed to be wheeling and dealing at the deadline, trying to find their final missing pieces aiming for a Super Bowl run, they’ve very rapidly become sellers. Personally, I have enjoyed covering and watching Amari Cooper. He’s one of the best route runners in the league, and he became the first receiver in Browns history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He also set the Browns’ single-game receiving record with 265 yards in a 36-22 victory over the Texans in the regular season last year.He <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2024/01/what-makes-amari-cooper-great-to-the-browns-its-about-more-than-route-running.html">was a thoughtful interview</a>, and whenever I would speak to him, I usually came away understanding something differently — like in my <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2023/10/the-underrated-part-of-amari-coopers-game-one-he-doesnt-even-consider-a-skill-thats-helping-the-browns-offense.html">story from last year</a> on why he hated drawing defensive pass interference calls. I won’t be surprise to see his production ramp up in Buffalo, getting a chance to play with Josh Allen who has already thrown for 10 touchdowns this year. Cooper was not the problem in this offense, but his trade is really the first acknowledgement of how systemic the issues exist. It reminds me of <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2024/10/buckle-up-cleveland-toughest-part-of-schedule-still-awaits-1-4-browns-ashley-bastock.html">the column I wrote last week</a>, arguing that things are going to only get worse for the Browns in the coming weeks.With Cooper’s departure now, the only player on the roster who has multiple touchdowns this year is: veteran safety Rodney McLeod. The only Brown to have more than 100 receiving yards is Jerry Jeudy (248). Backup tight end Jordan Akins is behind him with 98. The Browns have yet to score 20 points in a single game this year, or put up 300 yards of offense.So now? The Browns are left to go the rest of the season to figure out if Watson is actually still the guy, and see what he has left in the tank. In theory, with Cooper’s departure, it allows them to also see if Jerry Jeudy can be a true No. 1 receiver, and what, if anything, they have with guys like Elijah Moore (95 yards) and Cedric Tillman (9 yards).It’s a much bleaker reality than it was a month or even a day ago. But it’s the one the Browns live in now. The long-term future is really all you have left to play for.There’s no such thing as going 1-0 each week anymore. </div></body>

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Browns trading Amari Cooper shows the true reality of their 2024 season: Ashley Bastock

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s a slogan the Browns have adopted over the Kevin Stefanski era. “We’re just trying to go 1-0 every week.\" It’s one that’s the peak of athletic mindfulness, all about not looking too far ahead. It especially served them well in 2023. Last week, with the Browns at 1-4, it was still more of the same talking points, even from wide receiver Amari Cooper.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s a slogan the Browns have adopted over the Kevin Stefanski era. “We’re just trying to go 1-0 every week." It’s one that’s the peak of athletic mindfulness, all about not looking too far ahead. It especially served them well in 2023. Last week, with the Browns at 1-4, it was still more of the same talking points, even from wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Browns trading Amari Cooper shows the true reality of their 2024 season: Ashley Bastock

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