Getty Images Quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns missed out on a generational talent in DeAndre Hopkins during the offseason, but a second chance to land the wide receiver has presented itself.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported on Tuesday, October 24, that Hopkins is available ahead of the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline.
‘Everyone really is available’ on Titans ahead of the trade deadline and that ‘starts with Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins’
Per @Schultz_Report in the B/R App
“The sense [around the league] is overwhelmingly that everyone really is available, and that really starts with Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins,” Schultz said.
DeAndre Hopkins Fits Well as 2-Year Trade Play for Browns
GettyThe Tennessee Titans have made wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins available via trade.
The Browns could probably use Henry as well following news that running back Jerome Ford will miss the next week or two with an ankle injury. However, the team’s focus over the past couple of weeks has been more on the wide receiver room and the offensive line than anywhere else, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
Analysts have speculatively linked Cleveland to the Denver Broncos‘ pass-catching duo of Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton for weeks based on the belief that Denver plans to punt on the season and reset in 2024. Both players remain viable targets, though the Broncos’ win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday could complicate the issue.
Based on Schutlz’s report Tuesday, Hopkins may now be the Browns’ best bet to land an upper-echelon receiver ahead of the deadline. On top of that, Hopkins makes considerable sense in Cleveland.
He played with quarterback Deshaun Watson to great success for several years as members of the Houston Texans, earning multiple first-team All-Pro honors during that stretch. Hopkins also offers the Browns a replacement for Amari Cooper at the top of the receiver room if Cleveland is forced to cut or trade Cooper this offseason due to his $24 million cap hit in 2024.
Part of the reason the Browns ultimately didn’t sign Hopkins over the offseason involved financial concerns. However, Hopkins inked a two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans, which sets his pay structure in stone.
Cleveland has plenty of cap space ($34.25 million) to add Hopkins for the remainder of this year, while the wideout’s cap hit is a manageable $16 million in 2024.
DeAndre Hopkins on Pace for 1,000-Yard Season in 2023
GettyTennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has played well despite being part of a subpar offense in 2023.
At 31 years old, Hopkins has proven on a bad Tennessee offense that he can still play at a borderline-elite level.
Through six games this year, Hopkins has tallied 27 catches for 376 yards, per Pro Football Reference. Extrapolating those numbers out over a 17-game season, Hopkins is poised to finish the campaign with 77 catches and 1,065 yards.
Should the Browns decide to pursue Hopkins, his presence on the offense will make a difference for Watson or P.J. Walker or whoever Cleveland runs out under center. If such a trade happens, either for Hopkins or another wideout, the Browns may make the corresponding move of dealing fourth-year receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
“Peoples-Jones is a starter and had 839 receiving yards last season, but he has only eight catches for 97 yards over six games this season. He’s also in the final year of his rookie deal,” ESPN’s Jake Trotter wrote on Tuesday.
“The Browns have other options at receiver in rookie Cedric Tillman and veteran Marquise Goodwin. It still seems unlikely they would trade away a starting receiver, especially for, say, Day-3 draft considerations. But Cleveland is not going to mess with its stellar defense. And offensively, Peoples-Jones seems to be the only player potentially worth watching.”