Proposed Trade Beefs Up Browns Passing Game With $26 Million WR

Getty Images Kevin Stefanski and the Browns need more weapons in the passing game.

The Cleveland Browns decided not to pursue DeAndre Hopkins in free agency but he could end up being a target for the team at the trade deadline.

After being released by the Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins spent some time weighing his free agency options. He ultimately decided to sign with the Tennessee Titans, who gave him a two-year, $26 million deal.

It has not worked out well for Hopkins or the Titans, who are 2-4 and in the basement of the AFC South. The Titans have scored just 104 points this season, third worst in the AFC.

Hopkins leads the team with 27 catches for 376 yards but has yet to find the end zone. On top of that, the Titans QB situation is in flux, with Ryan Tannehill dealing with an ankle injury.

None of that bodes well for Hopkins, who could find himself on the move at the trade deadline to a wide receiver-needy team like the Browns. Hopkins was pitched as a potential trade option for the Browns by Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

“It’s difficult to see the Browns adding a wide receiver given their offseason investments in the position. But Watson publicly campaigned for Cleveland to add Hopkins in the spring before he signed with the Titans,”  Jackson wrote on October 27. “Now, Tennessee appears to be a trade-deadline seller.”

The Titans already traded away two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. Hopkins could be next.

“I do my job when my number’s called,” Hopkins said when asked about the trade rumors. “And I’m a Tennessee Titan.”

DeAndre Hopkins Could Thrive With Deshaun Watson

Trading for Hopkins would be an all-in move for the Browns, who are already staring down a potentially daunting cap situation next season. However, he’d be a nice fit alongside Deshaun Watson, who he combined forces with on the Houston Texans from 2017 to 2019.

During their time in Houston, Hopkins caught 256 passes from Watson for 3,119 yards and 23 touchdowns. As noted by Jackson, Watson made a public pitch to Hopkins during his free agency tour.

“Me and D-Hop, we just naturally talk. We’ve been talking since the Houston days, and whenever he was in Arizona, we were always talking,” Watson said in May. “He’s always been a brother of mine since I was coming out of high school. Our connection, our relationship has always been great. And I know there’s a lot of things swirling around in the media about him possibly coming to Cleveland. For me, my answer to that is, of course we’d love to have him.”

The Browns did not host Hopkins for a visit.

Browns Passing Game Struggling to Get on Track

The Browns’ offense has been lacking this season, especially through the air. Much of that has been due to their situation at quarterback, with Watson missing significant time with a shoulder injury.

Cleveland has averaged just 171.7 passing yards per game, which is the second-worst figure in the league. Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore have combined for 49 catches but the Browns are not getting much out of the rest of the roster. Donovan Peoples-Jones is the third-leading receiver on the team with just eight catches for 97 yards.

Hopkins might not be the All-Pro game-breaker he once was. But if Watson is healthy, their chemistry could go a long way in sparking what has been a mostly dormant passing game.