My Two Cents: DeAndre Hopkins Approaching 1,000 Yards, Was Great Addition Despite Lack of Wins
NASHVILLE — When DeAndre Hopkins was a free agent this summer, it was something of a surprise that he decided to come to the Tennessee Titans instead of a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
But it's worked out for all involved, with one exception. It's a glaring exception, of course, and that one thing is that the Titans haven't won more with him in the lineup.
But that doesn't mean his presence hasn't been valuable. The Titans are better for it. He's got 939 yards of receptions and is on the verge of his seventh 1,000-yard season in his 11-year career.
And when he gets there, it'll be just the 11th such season in Titans history since the franchise moved to Nashville.
That's how rare this is — and how good he's been, especially when you consider all the flaws in the Titans offense, the awful offensive line and less-than-average quarterback play.
"Yeah, I mean, he's been everything that we've wanted,'' Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of Hopkins. "I know that he wishes — and we all would — wish that things were different and that we would have won more games up until this point.
"But I appreciate his attitude, his willingness, his competitiveness each and every week. We'll find ways to hopefully have him help us this week and moving forward.''
In Hopkins' first six games with the Titans when veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill at the helm, he didn't have a single touchdown catch and just one game with more than 65 yards worth of receptions.
It all changed when rookie quarterback Will Levis took over after the bye week. In the win over Atlanta on Oct. 29, Levis threw four touchdown passes in his NFL debut, three of them to Hopkins. He's had three more touchdown receptions since, including one in the thrilling comeback in Miami against the Dolphins.
He and Levis had eight games together, and they did a lot of good things. They've also done their fair share of getting after each other, with some high-profile sideline blow-ups. It's good for growth, I suppose. Hopkins has said he thinks Levis is going to be a star in this league. Levis has talked often about all he's learned from Hopkins.
That alone has made his signing — a two-year deal worth $26 million — worth every dollar. Helping Levis grow as an NFL quarterback is paramount.
"Well, I think that that's something that's been there. I think early on, they've had conversations— and again, Hop's played a lot of years and he's seen a lot of different coverages and things happen out there.
"So, the most important thing is that those guys are on the same page. There's nothing more important than that relationship. If I'm a receiver, I'm going to make sure that the quarterback knows where I'm going to be. So, I think that they've worked hard on that. We'll see, hopefully they can do that this week.''
Hopkins has also been a great locker room presence. The other Titans receivers — all very young and still learning the pro game, too — have soaked in knowledge from him.
They still get to see greatness in the 31-year-old receiver. Here's Hopkins' history of 1,000-yard seasons.
DeAndre Hopkins' 1,000-yard seasons
Hopkins topped 1,000 yards in six of his first 10 seasons in the NFL, but none since 2020. His best year was in 2018, when he caught 1,572 yards worth of passes. Here are the stats from his six 1,000-yard seasons.
| Year | Team | Catches | Yards | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Houston | 76 | 1,210 | 6 |
2015 | Houston | 111 | 1,521 | 11 |
2017 | Houston | 96 | 1,378 | 13 |
2018 | Houston | 115 | 1,572 | 11 |
2019 | Houston | 104 | 1,165 | 7 |
2020 | Arizona | 115 | 1,407 | 6 |
Since moving to Nashville, the Titans have had 10 pass catchers top 1,000 yards. Five were receivers — A.J. Brown, Nate Washington, Drew Bennett, Kendall Wright and Derrick Mason — and there was one tight end, Delanie Walker. Mason did it the most, with four seasons over 1K.
Here's the complete list of 1,000-yard receivers in Titans history.
| Year | Player | Catches | Yards | TD's |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | A.J. Brown | 70 | 1,075 | 11 |
2019 | A.J. Brown | 52 | 1,051 | 8 |
2015 | Delanie Walker | 94 | 1,088 | 6 |
2013 | Kendall Wright | 94 | 1,079 | 2 |
2011 | Nate Washington | 74 | 1,023 | 7 |
2004 | Drew Bennett | 80 | 1,247 | 11 |
2004 | Derrick Mason | 90 | 1,168 | 7 |
2003 | Derrick Mason | 95 | 1,303 | 8 |
2002 | Derrick Mason | 79 | 1,102 | 5 |
2001 | Derrick Mason | 73 | 1,128 | 9 |
Hopkins has been fun to be around all season, too. He's a pro, and knows the routine. He's always been a great interview, and fun to chat with mid-week when available.
We had some fun earlier in the year prior to the start of the season. I've had a couple of kids go to Florida State, so there's a football rooting interest there for me. I wore an FSU polo to practice one day, and Hopkins — a Clemson grad — called me out about it. He called it a ''poor choice'' and laughed that it probably shouldn't happen again.
I only have one orange shirt — and living here in Tennessee for the past two years, I simply refuse to wear it — but I did to the next practice and Hopkins got a big laugh out of that. And every meeting since then has always been met with a smile. I love having him around.
Having Hopkins around makes Levis a better quarterback. I know $14 million is a lot of money, but I hope the Titans keep him around in 2024. They're building around Levis now, and have a ton of salary cap space in the offseason.
This can be a quick turnaround for the 5-10 Titans, if they make the right decisions. That should start with keeping Hopkins around, and building around him, too.
It would be good for all involved.
Related Titans stories
- LEVIS BACK TO PRACTICE: The Titans were without starting quarterback Will Levis in their Week 16 loss to the Seahawks, but coach Mike Vrabel hopeful Levis can return this week against the Houston Texans, while confirming Levis will practice on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- WEEK 16 TITAN UP-TITAN DOWN: The Tennessee Titans lost a close one to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16 and with a tight score comes some good and bad performances that kept them close, but ultimately lost the game. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: The Tennessee Titans are eliminated from the playoffs, but don't tell the players to shut it down. They aren't wired that way. That's what made Sunday perfect. They entertained us for three hours — but lost anyway and moved up in the draft order. CLICK HERE
- TITANS GAME STORY: Once again, the Tennessee Titans made all sorts of late mistakes and lost 20-17 in the closing minutes to the Seahawks on Sunday. It's the seventh one-score defeat, and their third straight home loss where they've blown a late lead. The Titans are now 5-10 on the year. CLICK HERE
- PHOTO GALLERY: The Tennessee Titans dropped their third straight home game on Sunday, giving up a touchdown to the Seattle Seahawks in the final minute to lose 20-17. Here are the best pictures from the Christmas Eve game. CLICK HERE
