A surprising new team has emerged as the betting favorite to sign free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins has been connected to an absurdly long list of teams at this point. Some of them connected by tangible reporting, others by mere theory. Now, we may be getting closer to knowing Hopkins' next home with unvarnished certainty.
On Thursday, the betting odds shifted significantly in favor of one team, per NBC Sports.
The Tennessee Titans are the new odds-on favorite to acquire DeAndre Hopkins at -300. While it's never wise to place absolute faith in Vegas — those odds are based on cashflow, not the touch of God — the signs connecting Hopkins to Tennessee have been there from the very start.
Tennessee Titans become betting favorite to sign free agent DeAndre Hopkins
It's not hard to connect the dots here. Head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Tim Kelly both shared the sidelines with Hopkins once upon a time in Houston. As for the depth chart, Tennessee might have the worst receiving corps in football after trading A.J. Brown and letting Robert Woods walk. That's a situation ripe for Hopkins to step in and acquire a massive target share.
Hopkins isn't the undisputed Pro Bowl talent who once scorched secondaries with the Texans, but he's still a dangerous big-play threat with the size and soft hands to win 50-50 balls and dominate the red zone.
Last season marked the lowest yards per reception of Hopkins' career (11.3) and he only managed three touchdowns in 10 games. Injuries have taken their toll, not to mention age. Now 31 years old, Hopkins is pretty far along by positional standards. He was also held back by the shaky QB play in Arizona.
Hopkins wouldn't have access to the world's greatest arm in Tennessee, but there's a certain sense of imminent reliability with Ryan Tannehill. He can make the simple throw and set the table for his playmakers. The Titans maybe aren't the most explosive offense, but that could suit Hopkins just fine at this stage of his career.
Derrick Henry is still the best straight rusher in football. His ability to gobble up short-yardage gains and set the tempo on first and second down will open up plays for Hopkins down field.
The Titans were the No. 1 seed in the AFC a couple years ago when they still had a real No. 1 receiver. Now, it's fair to question whether or not Hopkins is still a "real" No. 1 receiver, but he's much closer than the options currently on the Titans' roster. Add in Tennessee's violent defense, elite run game, and a potentially resurgent Tannehill, and it's not hard to imagine why Hopkins might be interested in the Titans.
