The Buffalo Bills (4-2) traded with the Cleveland Browns (1-5) on Tuesday to acquire veteran receiver Amari Cooper. Buffalo adding Cooper could have an unintended consequences on wide out DeAndre Hopkins and the Tennessee Titans (1-4).
As of Tuesday, any discussion on Hopkins being moved in Tennessee is purely speculative. The 32-year-old is on an expiring contract, however, and makes sense as a potential candidate to move.
DeAndre Hopkins Is A Name To Watch If Titans Keep Losing
Tennessee is trending towards a Top 5 draft pick after a sluggish start to the season.
The Bills and Titans will face each other in Week 7 at Buffalo. Tennessee is currently an 8.5-point underdog, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and follows that up with a road trip to the Detroit Lions (4-1) in Week 8. There is a real possibility that the Titans could have a record of 1-6 ahead of the NFL's trade deadline unless drastic improvements are made.
If not, general manager Ran Carthon must consider trading any players that a legitimate contender might be interested in.
Cooper and superstar wide out Davantae Adams were both traded on Tuesday from Cleveland to the Bills and the Las Vegas Raiders to the New York Jets respectively. The Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) are in need of wide receiver help, and have previously expressed an interest in Hopkins prior to his signing with Tennessee in 2023. Kansas City might have a more cost-effective option available to address their current wide receiver needs.
Buffalo plays to release former Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling in a corresponding move to make room for Cooper. Valdes-Scantling will immediately become an unrestricted free agent and can choose to sign with any team. Reuniting with Patrick Mahomes could make sense for a player who struggled in Kansas City during the regular season, but was a critical part of the team's success in route to winning a second-consecutive Super Bowl.
"I think that helped JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and his situation coming back in (and) jumping in," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said on Monday of bringing back former players, according to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. "It helped Mecole (Hardman) coming back, but I’m not telling (you) other guys can’t come in and help out. That’s not – I don’t think that’s an issue. It’s just going to take them a little bit longer to figure it out and get on the same page with Pat (Mahomes) and all of those things."
While Valdes-Scantling is less reliable than Hopkins, a team acquiring players midseason might be more comfortable with a known commodity that is also up-to-speed on their scheme.
Hopkins deserves to compete for a Super Bowl, and he will not with the Titans in 2024. Tennessee is not mathematically eliminated, but they do have significant quarterback questions and an offense that could be diplomatically described as a work-in-progress. Hopkins has been a good soldier and a community pillar since his arrival in Nashville, and the city has been made better by his presence.
The decisions Carthon and his staff make in the coming weeks will determine whether this franchise can stop the flameout it has experience over the course of the last three years. Staying ahead of clubs in a similar position who have already begun selling parts becomes the challenge.
