The free agent news Titan fans have clamored for finally came Wednesday with DeAndre Hopkins scheduling a visit with the Titans Sunday.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news and Mike Vrabel confirmed just after the Titans completed their second practice at Mandatory Mini-Camp, “DeAndre will be somebody that we will bring in next week or early next week, the end of this week and go through the same visit we go through with everybody and then start the process.”
That process includes two important facets, does Hopkins want to play in Nashville and can the Titans afford him?
Vrabel prefaced his remarks about Hopkins by saying the Titans want players “who want to be here.” Earlier this year Hopkins released a list of quarterbacks he would like to play with and Ryan Tannehill was not on the list. The Titans also are not on the tip of everyone’s tongues when they talk Super Bowl this year. They do have familiarity though.
Both Vrabel and new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly were on the Texans staff when Hopkins played there. In fact, Kelly was Hopkins O-C for one season, a season that saw him go for 104 receptions, 1,165 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Money is a complicated issue for the Titans who are hovering around $8-million in cap space. Hopkins just got released form a deal paying him $54.5-million over two years. While his play may not be at that level any more the Titans may have to get creative to even piece together a marginal deal.
Even is Hopkins is not a 100 reception player any more he certainly makes the Titans a better team and would to an extremely young and unproven wide receiver room. Second year player Treylon Burks said while he loves “playing with the guys we’ve got” he also acknowledged he has watched Hopkins for a long time and could learn a lot from him.
Veteran cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting called Hopkins “elite” and relished the opportunity to practice against him each day if things worked out.
Hopkins has put up Hall of Fame numbers in his career with 853 catches for 11,265 yards and 71 touchdowns. For a team plagued by injuries the last two years he does have one troubling stat, he has missed 15 games over the last two years.