Should Browns pursue DeAndre Hopkins if released?

Ever since his name hit the rumor mill, DeAndre Hopkins has been linked to the Cleveland Browns. The main reason for this would be the fact that Hopkins is a former teammate of Deshaun Watson back when they were both on the Houston Texans.

Hopkins was traded shortly after Watson signed his extension with the Texans, and it was that move that started the issues between Watson and his former team.

Houston foolishly traded Hopkins away and said it was Watson's fault, blaming his new contract. Yet, they hardly saved any money since they took on a massive contract as the Arizona Cardinals dumped David Johnson and his comically large deal onto their books.

So while some who don't like Watson say he "quit" on his former team, the truth is they gave him no chance and all and instead, blamed Watson. This was bought hook, line, and sinker by the masses — so, well-played Houston.

But back to Hopkins. He's now coming off two injury-plagued campaigns and Arizona has been unable to find a trade partner. That's led to the belief that he could be released and if so, Cleveland is again going to be looked to as a potential landing spot. But should they be interested?

Should the Browns pursue Hopkins?

One major flaw in thinking that permeates through the Dawg Pound is that depth is never needed. When a running back is mentioned, we hear that they have Nick Chubb so who needs a backup? Well, Kareem Hunt got a whole lot of carries the past four seasons, so there will be touches outside of No. 24.

The same is happening with the wide receiver position. A player gets named and we hear that they have Donovan Peoples-Jones as the WR2 and recently acquired Elijah Moore. Throw in Amari Cooper and they're set. Right>

Well, not so fast. Injuries do happen and we've seen a receiving corps deplete in a hurry. On top of that, Moore and DPJ are both nice players but neither has done enough to simply scoff at an All-Pro player when he becomes available.

So should the Browns kick the tires on Hopkins? Yes, absolutely. But they also know they can't back up the Brinks truck, so they wouldn't even be able to entertain the idea unless he took an incredibly team-friendly deal.

Would DeAndre Hopkins choose the Browns?

While Hopkins said he would take less money to facilitate a trade, that's not likely the case in free agency. He won't be commanding top dollar at this point in his career but Hopkins will generate interest.

It would be hard to convince him to take less money to join Cleveland when teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and possibly even Kansas City Chiefs could get involved and offer more money.

So in short, the Browns should kick the tires on Hopkins but chances are, he won't be interested.