New Ravens WR Surprisingly Misses Practice

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Baltimore Ravens' training camp is underway, but they were surprisingly without one of their star players during the latest practice.
According to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Banner, there was no sign of veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins while the other Ravens playmakers took the field to go through drills.
It's unclear if Hopkins is injured or not, but no injuries have been reported thus far. Baltimore may just want to take a conservative approach with the 33-year-old this summer.
The Ravens signed Hopkins to a one-year, $5 million contract this offseason, adding him to a room that already included Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker, Tylan Wallace and rookie LaJohntay Wester.
However, given Hopkins' resume, he should have no problem seeing the field early and often this season. The five-time Pro Bowler has recorded 984 catches for 12,965 yards and 83 touchdowns in his 12-year NFL career.
Still, it is something to keep an eye on. Hopkins has played in at least 16 games the past two seasons, and the reason he only played nine games in 2022 was due to a suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drugs policy.
It's safe to say Hopkins has all the motivation he needs to get back onto the field, though. He is still searching for a Super Bowl championship to cement his NFL legacy and potentially Hall of Fame resume and believes he could be Baltimore's missing piece.
"It seems like there's been a piece that's been missing," Hopkins said, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I could be that addition. I could not be that addition."
There's no doubt the Ravens will be in contention for the Super Bowl once again this season, barring health, but only time will tell if Hopkins can help get them over the hump.

Aaron Becker is a Baltimore Ravens beat reporter for On SI, delivering original reporting for one of the NFL’s premiere franchises. He previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers beat for Pittsburgh Sports Now and Yardbarker from 2022 to ’24. Becker began his career working in communications for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2019 to ’21 and Kansas City Chiefs from 2021 to ‘22. He graduated from Point Park University with a B.A. in broadcast reporting.