Amari Cooper already has an agent but he might want to consider adding Darius Slay to his payroll. The Philadelphia Eagles star cornerback was recently a guest on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast and started to discuss which wide receivers don’t get enough love. He identified Cooper, who is in the middle of a holdout with the Cleveland Browns.
Slay called Cooper the “most underappreciated receiver in the league” and added that the Browns need to pay him.
“I’m seeing right now that Cleveland don’t want to pay him, they need to pay that man that money.”
– Darius Slay
The six-time Pro Bowl cornerback knows more than most about how tough a receiver such as Cooper is. The two were rivals during Cooper’s time with the Dallas Cowboys and the Eagles often had issues slowing the wideout down due to the immense route tree he can run.
Slay said that Cooper doesn’t win with special abilities or incredible size but claims he’s the only one who can take on any route and win.
“He really the one that’s really being slept on,” Slay said via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “He been a consistent receiver for, since he been in the league and been dominating. He’s really the only receiver that really, I truly think that has a true route tree as can run all the routes. Lot of guys got special abilities, can be running faster or somebody that’s 6-6, 6-5, can just Moss you cause he’s bigger than you. But Amari Cooper, off the line of scrimmage, he’s amazing; after the catch, he’s amazing; he can attack the ball.”
Perhaps the lack of elite traits keeps Cooper from getting the attention he deserves. While he’s not slow by any means, he’s also not a 4.3 guy — although his 4.42 time in the 40-yard dash is nothing to scoff at. He’s also not the largest but at 6-foot-1 and 211 pounds, he’s also not small.
Cooper is also very quiet, which for some odd reason seems to work against him. Instead of being seen as a no-nonsense player — as Nick Chubb is viewed — the stoic wideout has been characterized as lacking passion.
In the end, the Browns are likely paying Cooper — and they should. He set the franchise record with 265 yards in his last outing and has 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He’s a true WR1 and even if he doesn’t get the praise he deserves, the Browns know just how important he is to their offense.
