One of the more interesting names that remains a free agent after being released two weeks ago is DeAndre Hopkins. Fans of the Cleveland Browns have instantly tied him to the team because of his former relationship with Deshaun Watson in Houston, but it all appears to just be rumors at this point.
Andrew Berry has continued to stay aggressive as the general manager, and with another disappointing season, his seat could start to get warm from ownership. Is the fear of losing his job enough to make a drastic move like signing Hopkins?
I know fans want it to happen, but there is a reason we aren’t the ones making the decisions. Here are three reasons why I don’t think Hopkins ends up with the Browns in 2023.
Reason No. 3: Browns have strong depth at the position
If it were June of 2022, I would be all in on the Cleveland Browns finding a way to get Hopkins. At that point, this roster had Amari Cooper and that was about it.
Now a year later we sit with Cooper still as a solid No. 1, Donovan Peoples-Jones who really stepped up last year, and Elijah Moore who was previously a first-round talent in a bad situation in New York.
Rookie Cedric Tillman and second-year player, David Bell, also have some excitement around them. Tillman has some injury concerns and Bell lacks elite athleticism, but both had great college careers and still could surprise some people.
My point is, if you bring in a guy like Hopkins now, you either must trade DPJ or you’re going to have at least one wide receiver extremely upset over not seeing the field or getting touches. Remember, David Njoku is supposed to be an elite tight end who needs to see the ball his way as well.
Right now, there just isn’t room to bring Hopkins in.
Reason No. 2: DeAndre Hopkins will command too much money
Even though Hopkins was once one of the most dominant receivers in the league, the contract that he's after is far too much for the Browns to sign. Hopkins has said he wants a deal similar to Odell Beckham which was a one-year, $15 million deal with up to $3 million in incentives.
To be honest, I thought the Ravens were crazy for signing that deal, so I would be irate if the Browns made the same mistake. Hopkins has missed 14 games over the last two seasons and has already been in the league for 10 years.
Right now the Browns have over $13 million in cap space, so there is no doubt that they could find a way to make it work. Even though the cap seems to be a figurative number for most teams, there are still consequences.
The cap may not keep you from singing any free agent that you want, but it very well could force you to get rid of a player that has a chance to develop into a star. I’m not saying DPJ is going to be a 1,500-yard receiver in the NFL, but he could be a great No. 2 that the Browns would likely need to move on from in order to sign Hopkins.
Is the juice worth the squeeze? In this situation probably not.
Reason No. 1: DeAndre Hopkins has lost a step
Last but certainly not least, the biggest reason the Cleveland Browns should not have an interest in Hopkins is his decrease in production. He may only be 31 years old, but his body has a lot of miles on it and there is no doubt he is wearing down.
Think about this, if Hopkins is such a stud, why did the Cardinals release him and why has he lasted 10-plus days as a free agent? I’m not saying he can’t still be a productive player in the NFL, but the All-Pro days and 1,400-yard seasons appear to be behind him.
In the last two seasons, he has missed 14 games and accounted for under 1,300 yards receiving. Those aren’t horrific numbers, but not worth $15 million per year either. The Browns have plenty of guys who are always hurt, no need to add another.
I get that Watson and Hopkins know each other from their time in Houston. And while that means something, unless Hopkins' number of what he wants in a contract comes down, I don’t see a scenario where Berry sticks his neck out like that.
This team already has a lot of big-name players under large contracts, and has plenty of young depth at the position already. The only way Hopkins will end up on this roster in 2023 is if he goes unsigned and someone like Cooper or DPJ ends up getting hurt and they get desperate.