Browns' Amari Cooper 'Going to Be Good' After Core Muscle Injury, Deshaun Watson Says

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper missed part of the team's offseason program last month while recovering from core muscle surgery, but his quarterback isn't particularly concerned.

Deshaun Watson recently said he expects his chemistry with Cooper to be just fine despite his missed workouts.

"Amari's going to be good," Watson told Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.com on Tuesday (h/t NFL.com's Kevin Patra). "He's a guy that's a vet, been in the league for a while, so he knows exactly what he needs to do to be ready for the season and training camp and our chemistry is going to be tight. We've been hanging out, we just going to continue to build that chemistry as much as possible."

In his first year in Cleveland last season after being acquired from the Dallas Cowboys, Cooper started all 17 games and recorded team-highs of 78 catches, 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns.

Watson played in only six games after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL personal conduct policy, and Cooper's production dipped slightly. He had 21 catches for 368 yards and two scores in those six games, recording over 75 yards in a game just once during that stretch after surpassing that mark six times in his previous 11 games.

Now that he's in line to have a full training camp, Watson is expected to perform like the three-time Pro Bowler he once was. The Browns acquired third-year receiver Elijah Moore from the New York Jets to bolster their receiving corps, and Cooper should benefit from having more talent around him.

Watson and Cooper will get the chance to put their chemistry on full display when the Browns open their 2023 season on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the AFC North-rival Cincinnati Bengals.