Rumors are swirling around the NFL about potential impactful wide receiver trades, and the Cleveland Browns are in the mix.
With Deshaun Watson leading the charge, there’s growing buzz that the Browns could be looking to reunite him with one of his former top targets — DeAndre Hopkins.
Disgruntled Las Vegas Raiders star Davante Adams has also been mentioned as a possibility for the Browns but team insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com thinks Hopkins could be a better fit.
“But what about Hopkins, who has excellent chemistry with Watson from their three years together in Houston?” Cabot said on Tuesday, October 1. “Hopkins is rumored to be on the block with the Titans at 1-3 and not viewed as a contender. The Browns are also 1-3, but believe they can still right the ship with the Ravens at 2-2 and Bengals at 1-3.”
DeAndre Hopkins, Titans Struggling on Offense
For the Browns, any trade would revolve around price. Hopkins — a five-time Pro Bowler — makes a lot more sense than Adams from a cap perspective. He’s in the final year of the two-year, $26 million deal he signed with the Titans in 2023.
Hopkins has had a tough start this season, but the Titans’ overall offensive struggles haven’t helped his cause. Tennessee is averaging just 145.0 yards through the air — third worst in the NFL and just behind the Browns (151.5).
Hopkins has 10 catches for 121 yards and one touchdown. However, he did look sharp last season, collecting 1,057 yards on 75 grabs with 7 touchdowns.
Hopkins could be the ingredient the Browns’ need to spark their offense, adding him to an arsenal that already includes Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore and Pro Bowl tight end David Njoku.
Cooper has been the team’s top target since arriving in 2022 but has looked off this season. He has 16 catches for 148 yards and leads the league with eight drops.
Deshaun Watson Made Pitch to DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins has been linked to the Browns previously due to his connection with Watson. He was a free agent last offseason after being released by the Arizona Cardinals and Watson made a very public pitch for him to sign with the Browns.
“I’ll just say this, D-Hop, DeAndre Hopkins, would love to be in a place where the opportunity is there for us to win,” Watson said then. “We check all those boxes. I think for us to know and make sure we check all those boxes on the national stage, we’ve got to go out there and prove it and I think D-Hop would love to be a part of that and proving people wrong.”
It’s a big year for Watson, who has to prove he can still be a franchise quarterback. His play has been uneven during the Browns’ 1-3 start but has show steady progression. He has completed 61.5% of his passes this season for 727 yards and 4 touchdowns with 3 interceptions.
If the Browns hope to get back into the mix for a postseason spot, they’ll need to make some changes. Giving Watson another weapon he is familiar with could be a step in the right direction.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He graduated from Arizona State and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SBNation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
