The Tennessee Titans are going to have a chance to correct an offseason of wide receiver neglect this weekend as they host free agent DeAndre Hopkins.
It was reported on Wednesday afternoon that Hopkins will visit Nashville on Sunday, which will give him a chance to reconnect with Mike Vrabel and new Tennessee Titans OC Tim Kelly. In addition to the former Houston Texans rekindling their connection, he will probably also get a chance to meet new GM Ran Carthon who has a good reputation around the NFL.
This will be the first stop on the free agent tour for DeAndre Hopkins, but the thing about a "first stop" is that it can also be a "last stop" if a deal makes sense. No matter who else is interested in Hopkins, if the organization puts the full-court press on him, they can block anyone else from making a deal.
While there is no guarantee that the team will end up signing Hopkins, it is hard to imagine a team other than the Tennessee Titans being more motivated to add this specific receiver. All things considered, if he had been on the free agent market in March it is hard to imagine the team not doing everything in their power to add him.
Why DeAndre Hopkins is the perfect WR for the Tennessee Titans
The first and most obvious thing that makes Hopkins a perfect fit is that he fills what the Tennessee Titans need. He is a big, strong X receiver that wins on every level of the field and he is a guy who makes life much easier for a quarterback.
Given the familiarity on both sides, the Tennessee Titans and Hopkins would both know exactly what to expect from Day 1. No one is going to expect him to be a deep threat that gets 150 targets in a season because that isn't what he is right now and it isn't what the Titans would be looking for.
Another reason why the Titans should make this work is that the domino effect on the rest of the offense would be huge. Last year Treylon Burks looked like a WR1 when healthy and he looks even better this season, but imagine what he could do against a team that had to deal with Hopkins on the other side of the field.
The stress that those two could put on boundary corners while Chig Okonkwo, Kyle Philips, and Derrick Henry caused a panic in the middle of the field, would make this offense...fun?
Without Hopkins, the Titans would be asking all three of the second-year pass catchers to take a big step forward in a new offense. It is possible, but how often do three second-year players all make big steps up at the same time? However, with Hopkins, all that trio has to do is be more consistent and more available than they were last year.
With around $100 million in cap space next year, a hole at wide receiver, and a front office filled with free agent specialists (Carthon and Chad Brinker specifically), I can't understand a scenario where the Titans let Hopkins walk unless he gets an outlandish deal from someone else.