DeAndre Hopkins signed with the Tennessee Titans during the 2023 offseason with hopes of competing for a championship.
At the time, that seemed like a lofty goal. Even now, the Titans have a long way to go. But there’s no question that Tennessee has taken big steps on the right direction with their recent offseason moves.
You can add DeAndre Hopkins to the list of people that are loving what Ran Carthon is doing. That includes the signing of another talent wide receiver in Calvin Ridley.
Hopkins spoke to some members of Titans media during the NFL owners meetings in Orlando. The 31-year-old wide out raved to Paul Kuharsky about the addition of Ridley and the complexity it will bring to Tennessee’s offense.
"Calvin is someone who I've watched since he was in the NFL and watched in college. I had the opportunity to train with him for a couple of years. Julio Jones and I are good friends and so Julio and I used to train. He brought Calvin along one offseason and I fell in love with his personality and who he is as a human. Calvin's a great guy. He wants to be great and he's going to be great," Hopkins told Kuharsky. "I think him and I on the field, it's going to be hard to key in on one of us. It's only going to make defenses have to prepare for us a little harder this year."
The addition of Ridley should not only help Will Levis in year two, but should open things up for Hopkins to continue making plays. Hopkins had 75 catches and 1,057 receiving yards last season without a WR2 anywhere in sight. The most targeted Titans players after Hopkins were TE Chig Okonkwo and RB Tyjae Spears.
The duo of Hopkins and Ridley might be one of the Top 5 combinations in the league. That’s wild to think about considering where Tennessee was last year. But then again, new leadership is taking the franchise in a new direction. Titans football prioritizes different things than it did just 12 months ago, and that’s translating into the roster construction.
“I’m happy, I’m smiling,” said Hopkins when Jim Wyatt asked him about the direction the Titans were headed as an organization.
Most football fans in Tennessee are doing the same right now. Even if the Titans aren’t the AFC South champions and vying for a Super Bowl title in 2024, the team is going to be fun to watch and is moving in the right direction.
More must-reads: