The Tennessee Titans may be without superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to begin the 2024 season.
According to longtime Titans reporter Paul Kuharksy, DeAndre Hopkins strained his knee during practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and he’s likely to be out of action for up to six weeks:
“De”Andre Hopkins suffered a strained knee injury Wednesday or Thursday and indications are he could miss four to six weeks…
I watched Hopkins leave the field late in practice Wednesday with the Titans’ top medical guy, Todd Torischelli. But he had no discernible limp and I figured he was leaving for treatment, which he may have been.”
The Titans’ season will begin five weeks from Sunday, when they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Caleb Williams’ debut. So if Hopkins is out for six weeks, he’ll also miss the club’s Week 2 home game against Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets.
DeAndre Hopkins is entering the final year of a two-year, $26 million deal he signed with Tennessee after his release from the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, he caught 75 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns.
Fortunately for the Titans, GM Ran Carthon put a great focus on upgrading the wide receiver position this offseason. He signed ex-Jacksonville Jaguars star Calvin Ridley to a four-year deal worth $92 million and picked up former Cincinnati Bengal Tyler Boyd on a one-year pact.
Here is video of #Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins with a wrap on his left knee during individual period of practice yesterday. pic.twitter.com/SZG0Orw6gv
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) August 1, 2024
If Hopkins misses regular season action, the door opens up for 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks to step up. Injuries have limited the Arkansas product to 22 games over his first two seasons, with Burks only catching 49 passes for 665 yards and one touchdown in those contests.
Titans WRs Must Step Up If DeAndre Hopkins Misses Time
The Titans are fortunate that Hopkins’ knee injury shouldn’t sideline him for more than two games, but it also makes things that much tougher for the Will Levis-led offense to operate efficiently.
Ridley and Boyd each have two 1,000-yard seasons on their resumes, and the former might regain that fom in Tennessee now that he’s not playing third-fiddle to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The depth is there for the Titans offense to get by without Hopkins, but Boyd and Burks especially need to step up and help Ridley if “Nuk” misses time.
