Coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that Cooper (abdomen) will "start doing stuff this week" after not practicing last week, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.
Cooper had core muscle surgery in February and should be back at full strength for training camp, if he isn't already. The Browns have no reason to rush him for spring practices a couple weeks before his 29th birthday, as this is his second season in Stefanski's offense after a successful Year 1. One cause for concern is that Cooper had better numbers in Jacoby Brissett's 11 starts (8.5 targets and 72 yards per game, seven TDs) than in Deshaun Watson's six games (6.5 targets, 61 YPG, two TDs), though most of the difference was just due to Cleveland passing less late in the year. It's also possible the targets will be spread out more this season after the Browns retained last year's skill-position starters and also added WRs Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman and Marquise Goodwin and TE Jordan Akins. Of course, Cooper is still a clear favorite to lead the team in targets, and they'll be of a higher quality this year if Watson regains his pre-suspension form.