Baker Mayfield was the No. 1 quarterback on the depth chart when wide receiver Amari Cooper was traded to the Browns last month, but the picture shifted dramatically a short time later.
The Browns traded for Deshaun Watson about a week after the Cooper deal and Cooper told reporters on Wednesday that he was happy to wake up to learn the news while on vacation in Dubai. Cooper said that he heard from friends around the league that he’s “lucky” to have Watson as his quarterback and Cooper said he’ll do anything he can to ensure Watson feels the same way about throwing the ball his way.
“He’s a great player. I’m a great player. We’re going to make it work by any means necessary,” Cooper said, via Scott Petrak of BrownsZone.com. “But as far as being his No. 1 receiver, that has to be earned. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done in the past. It has to be earned every day in OTAs, minicamp, training camp. So I’m looking forward to going out there and earning the respect of Deshaun and allow him to say, ‘I want to go to this guy. I’m confident in this guy. I know he’s going to come through for me, so I just have to go out there and prove it.”
There may be a suspension in Watson’s future, which will make developing the connection between the two players during the offseason, training camp and the preseason all the more important in Cleveland.
