4 Browns players the Miami Dolphins have to worry about on Sunday
By Brian Miller
Amari Cooper is the big wide receiver that the Miami Dolphins must account for.
If the Dolphins are going to have success defensively on Sunday they will also need to account for the Browns’ wide receiver unit that is led by Amari Cooper.
Cooper is a big WR and should find himself mirrored by Xavien Howard on Sunday. Howard is having a down season this year but that can be more attributed to his groin issues. When healthy, Howard has played as expected but he still has yet to get an interception this year, 9 games in.
Cooper leads the Browns with 553 yards and five touchdowns on 39 receptions. He has been targeted 66 times so far and is clearly the go-to receiver for the Browns. The next closest is TE David Njoku with 42 targets. Donovan Peoples-Jones is the 2nd WR with 46 targets and 417 yards. All three of them are averaging over 12 yards per reception. Cooper averages 14.2.
If the Dolphins can take Cooper out of the game, we can expect Brissett and the Browns’ offense to target Peoples-Jones who will probably line up against double coverage from the remaining corners of Noah Igbinoghene, Keion Crossen, and Kaker Kohou.
Miami’s secondary has faced much better WR tandems this year but the combination of size and usage as well as the Browns’ rushing attack will keep Miami’s defense needing to be sharp and dialed in.