BEREA, Ohio— The Cleveland Browns had to make a quick move with the hamstring injury to kicker Dustin Hopkins on a short week with the Browns playing the New York Jets on Thursday night.
On Christmas Day, the Browns signed kicker Riley Patterson to the practice squad.
Patterson, 24, played 13 games with the Lions this season and was 15-of-17 (88.2 pct.). In his career, Patterson is 58-of-66 (87.9 pct.) in 37 games.
Patterson (6-0, 195) is in his third NFL season out of Memphis. Originally signed by the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Patterson has appeared in 37 career games with the Lions (2021 and 2023) and Jaguars (2022).
In addition to the 58 of 66 field goal attempts, he has made 87 of 90 PATs. This season, he appeared in 13 games with the Lions and converted 15 of 17 field goal attempts.
The Lions recently decided to change to kicker Michael Badgley and released Patterson.
The Browns have not given an update on Hopkins injury status, as of yet. The Browns will practice on Tuesday in Berea and there will be an injury report.
Browns Amari Cooper Masterful in Record-Setting Performance Against Texans
With the help of a great performance from quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receiver Amari Cooper was at the peak of his powers in a record-setting performance that helped the Cleveland Browns defeat the Houston Texans.
In a tumultuous season defined by adversity on the offensive side of the ball, Amari Cooper has been the Cleveland Browns’ constant; its North Star. With Joe Flacco at the helm, the Browns followed Cooper to a 265-yard, two-touchdown performance, allowing the Browns to get their tenth victory of the season over the Houston Texans.
The previous five seasons, the Browns offense went as running back Nick Chubb did. And after he went out for the year with injury, the compass was supposed to be quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Now, on their fourth different quarterback of the season, the one aspect of the Browns offense that has remained true has been Amari Cooper. On a team that has had to endure so much change over the course of the season, he’s been their guiding light.
Cooper now has five games with at least 100 yards this season. The Browns have won all five. No one is debating whether he fits with a particular quarterback. Cooper has produced with all of them, including 108 yards with P.J. Walker at quarterback in a pivotal victory over the San Francisco 49ers. As long as someone is throwing him the ball, Cooper makes plays.
In 32 games as with the Browns, Cooper has caught 150 passes from five different quarterbacks for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns. While it’s an indictment of the Browns for the past three decades, there was no one more fitting to be the first Browns receiver to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons than Cooper. He did it in style.
In Houston, Cooper was at the peak of his powers. He showed everything in his arsenal. Size. Strength. Speed. Technique. Cooper beat the Texans’ defenders at the catch point as much as he beat them with precision route running and body control.
It turned out the only thing that could slow down Cooper was common sense. The Browns, who faced with the prospect of hosting the New York Jets in just four days, were trying to save their guys some wear and tear when they were up 36-7.
They pulled their starters with a four-score lead. The Texans were able to rally to two touchdowns, forcing the Browns to put their starters back on the field. That enabled Cooper to break the franchise record for receiving yards in a game previously held by Josh Gordon.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and Flacco followed true north from the first play of the game. Flacco threw a 53-yard pass to Cooper down the middle of the field off of play-action. Cooper was able to run by the safety and use his body to prevent the corner from closing and making a play on the ball. The Browns capped off the drive with a Jerome Ford touchdown.
The Browns went back to play-action, this time having Flacco rolled to his left. With time to set his feet, he turned down a wide-open Njoku on a crosser to go deep to Cooper one-on-one against a backup defensive back.
Cooper had executed a double move to create separation down the sideline. At that point, he was simply too fast and too strong for his opponent, casually shrugging off a desperate attempt at defensive pass interference before securing the catch. Cooper looked like Jim Brown as he held the ball out in one hand, lumbering the rest of the way for the touchdown.
On those two plays, Cooper was almost halfway to a record-setting day. Both plays looked effortless. They looked easy for Cooper because he got all the details right. Smooth in setting up his routes, he used his body to keep opponents from making plays on the ball.
Cooper’s second touchdown was from in the red zone. Aligned in the slot on the right, Cooper ran right at Texans corner Derek Stingley, making a quick jab outside before stemming into his post route.
Cooper was able to use his body to box out Stingley, catching the ball that was on him immediately with his hands before securing it to his body while turning away from the defender, preventing him from punching the ball out as both went to the ground.
Those plays don’t happen without terrific passes from Flacco. On the post, Flacco was setting up the throw as soon as Cooper was starting his break.
Flacco knew where he was going with the ball, which made it almost impossible for Stingley to react quickly enough to break up the play. At points in the game, it felt like Flacco couldn’t miss. The interception he threw on a pass intended for Marquise Goodwin late in the first half felt like a heat check.
Flacco and Cooper had a handful of highlights on throws to the sideline. Cooper won in a variety of ways, going up and extending for one pass, toe-tapping another and just beating an opponent on a comeback for a third. Each time, Flacco made an outstanding pass that allowed Cooper to shine.
The level of trust Flacco has shown in his receivers after such a short amount of time is extraordinary. It started with his former New York Jets teammate Elijah Moore against the Los Angeles Rams. Then David Njoku had game-breaking performances in back-to-back games. This week, Cooper made history.
Flacco has consistently provided receivers with opportunities to thrive. At times, he trusts a little too much which puts the ball in harm’s way and can result in turnovers, but when Flacco is right as he was so often in this game, the results are magnificent.
The most forgettable play from Cooper is also the one that doesn’t go in the stat book. After the Browns went up 34-7 on a one-yard touchdown plunge from Kareem Hunt, Flacco hit Cooper running a quick stick route in the front of the end zone, capping the Browns scoring for the day with a 2-point conversion.
It wasn’t as spectacular as so many of the other moments in this game, but he executed with the same level of professionalism. Simple. Clean.
In 2013 when Josh Gordon set the previous mark of 261 yards, he was a force of nature. He was bigger and stronger than everyone else while still somehow being lighter on his feet. There was undeniable beauty in what Gordon was able to do on a football field.
Cooper has size, strength, and speed. Those are important components that allow him to be a great receiver, but there are a lot of receivers with those attributes. What separates Cooper is nuance and technique. Against the Texans, Cooper was an artist and this game was a masterpiece.
For an understated player who rarely seeks adoration, this game was an earned celebration of Cooper’s two seasons in Cleveland, all of which was made possible by trading a trade that sent a fifth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in addition to a swap of sixth-round picks.
