Tennessee Titans star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins spoke to NFL reporter/insider Paul Kuharsky on Thursday afternoon about his injury status. He revealed that he tore his MCL in July’s training camp but has returned to practice this week. Tennessee travels to Chicago this week to take on the Bears and Caleb Williams. How will the Titans fare with or without such a key cog in their offense?
Tennessee Titans Star Receiver Battling Injury
Hopkins was an essential weapon for rookie Will Levis last season, catching 75 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns. He thoroughly dominated the targets as he was targeted 137 times, more than the next four wide receivers combined (102). Tight end Chig Okonkwo (77) and running back Tyjae Spears (70) were second and third on the team in targets, respectively. It’s safe to say that Hopkins was the clear-cut weapon of choice and, quite frequently, the only receiver that opposing defenders had to respect.
Hopkins’ thoughts on his knee injury
“I had the MCL tear maybe four and a half, five weeks ago, so the thing about those is it takes a whole year for them to heal,” “Obviously, it’s pain at that point.”
The former Clemson star previously tore his MCL in 2021 while with the moribund Arizona Cardinals. Unlike in 2021, he has decided to avoid surgery for this similar tear. Pain tolerance will be the most significant factor as he ramps up to game speed after missing a substantial portion of camp and preseason. Tennessee will likely place him in a similar load management plan to cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The player and team training staff will make a Herculean effort to battle against the injury in 2024.
The timetable of the injury and its effect on the team
“Right now, the way I feel, hopefully I can get out there Sunday and perform,”
It’s clear that the 32-year-old receiver wants to play through the ligament tear, but how does a limited Hopkins help the team? Tyke Tolbert, the receivers’ coach, has repeatedly defended Hopkins’ intense work ethic in battling back from the setback. A torn MCL with surgery would knock out the receiver for two or three months.
While the wide receiver room isn’t as dire as last season, it would still be a significant loss. Tennessee elected to keep six receivers on the active 53-man roster and two on the practice squad. In Hopkins’s potential absence, 2024 free agent signings Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd would become the leaders. Former first-round selection Treylon Burks and veteran backup Nick Westbrook-Ikhine must step up their games. Rookie Jha’Quan Jackson would also see his role escalate if Hopkins missed time. It would be interesting to see if the Titans elevate a receiver from the practice squad to round out the numbers to six.
Tennessee will likely also use its running backs more frequently in the passing game, if not outright in the slot in certain situations. The offense won’t likely be an outright version of the Air Raid with these weapons in tow but a similar version of what Cincinnati has run in years past.
Main Photo: Denny Simmons/The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
