The Titans Don’t Need DeAndre Hopkins but Hot Damn, Wouldn’t It Be Cool If They Got Him?

The Titans have reportedly been "more aggressive" than the Patriots in their pursuit of free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

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I just realized there hasn’t been an episode of The Unofficial Titans Podcast about the current state of the Tennessee Titans in over a month, and I still haven’t written about their pursuit of free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins here on SoBros Network either! How can I possibly call myself a “Titans writer” if I’m not offering up my analysis on every little nugget of information that comes out about the team? Where else could you possibly find an opinion on Hopkins potentially joining the Titans? I have no idea…haven’t seen too many of those floating around the internet. So, that’s why I’m here today. Apparently, there’s been a development in said pursuit, and the Titans are pursuing Hopkins more aggressively than the New England Patriots at this point.

Courtesy of Mike Reiss of ESPN:

The Tennessee Titans and Patriots have made offers, the Titans have been more aggressive to this point and Hopkins hasn’t been in a rush to sign. One reason for Hopkins to wait a bit longer is to leave open the possibility of another team entering the mix, potentially increasing his market.

I guess this makes now as good a time as any to weigh in on this. Signing Hopkins would fortify this Titans passing game. There’s no doubt about that. From his perspective, Tennessee makes a little more sense than New England – better quarterback, better offensive weapons, an existing relationship with the head coach. Presumably, the Titans will be running an offense similar to the one that Hopkins thrived in with Tim Kelly in Houston. It’s just a matter of the money, but it sounds like the Titans are willing to lay out for him. From the team’s perspective, it’s an opportunity to sign another weapon to raise the floor of what this offense can do. With another year of the Tannehill-Henry nucleus intact, adding a piece like Hopkins makes this team more competitive in 2023, and personally, I don’t think the path is all that unbelievable for the Titans to be a championship contender.

I’m just not so sure that they absolutely need Hopkins in order to be competitive in 2023. It sure as hell sounds like Treylon Burks is heading into training camp in great shape and poised for a breakout season. I’m here for the uptick in Chig Okonkwo‘s workload, and I’m a big fan of the potential Kyle Philips has. In an offense that is still likely to be predicated on running the ball, there are only so many targets to go around. To me, the question comes down to who you’d rather have between a Burks-Hopkins-Okonkwo-Philips combo, or a Burks-Chris Moore/Nick Westbrook-Ikhine-Okonkwo-Philips combo. There’s a clear answer here, sure, but if we’re thinking Burks is going to be the WR1 in this offense, Hopkins feels like a luxury more than a necessity. The addition would be a massive one, but it’s not like it’s going to be a total disaster if Hopkins chooses the Patriots.

And, I certainly won’t blame any longtime Titans fan for being shell-shocked by memories of Randy Moss and Julio Jones in Titans uniforms. But, Hopkins still has the juice. I know…famous last words. We thought the same about veteran free agent additions before. But, this time, I mean it. Promise. I’m salivating at the thought of what this offense could potentially look like with Hopkins as apart of it, but I have faith that the group of pass-catchers the Titans currently have is going to be an improvement regardless.

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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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