(Nashville) The presence of head coach Mike Vrabel and running back Derrick Henry with the Titans is no stranger to DeAndre Hopkins’ decision to join the Tennessee team.
Hopkins has always had a good relationship with Vrabel since their time with the Houston Texans. The newcomer also considers Henry a friend.
Now the three men are all together with the Titans, and Hopkins believes he may be one of the missing pieces to help the team regain No. 1 in the American South Division.
The receiver realized this when he saw the Titans come within three minutes of a third consecutive title during the last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It was that exact moment that opened my eyes and saw that they were only a few coins away from being where they want to be,” Hopkins said Tuesday, the day after signing a two-year contract with the Titans.
The Titans are certainly hoping Hopkins fills in some of the gaps identified in the offseason, as the veterans arrived at camp on Tuesday for their first full practice on Wednesday.
Even at 31, Hopkins should help the Titans make big strides with their passing game, which ranked 30th in the NFL last year by averaging 171.4 yards per game. Only four teams have done worse than their average of 17.5 points per game.
The five-time Pro Bowl invitee would have been the Titans’ point guard last year despite being limited to nine games due to a six-game suspension and a knee injury. He caught 64 passes for 717 yards. His three touchdowns through the air would have been good for a tie for third at Tennessee.
Hopkins also ranked fourth in the NFL with an average of 7.1 yards per pass.
The Titans were the first team Hopkins visited after being released by the Cardinals last May. During Hopkins’ seven years (2013 to 2019) in Houston, Vrabel was named linebackers coach in 2014 and then defensive coordinator in 2017. He then became Titans head coach in 2018.
The pilot said Hopkins has always developed a good relationship of trust with his quarterbacks and he expects that to be the case with Ryan Tannehill.
“He’s strong on the ball,” Vrabel said. We know how many contested catches there are in this league, so those are things we’ll have to keep working on and we’ll have to keep using his talents. »
Since 2013, Hopkins has led the NFL in catches with 853 in 10 seasons.