It was a whirlwind last week for new Kansas City Chiefs receiver DeAndre Hopkins after being traded to the defending champions from the Tennessee Titans.
The All-Pro only had a couple of days to acclimate to Andy Reid's system and develop chemistry with his teammate. But Hopkins saw the field against the Las Vegas Raiders and had two catches for 29 yards in the 27-20 win.
Now, after having a full week to prepare and dot his I's and cross his T's, Reid says that Hopkins is set to have a bigger workload against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He's really handled things the right way, been very diligent on studying and asking questions, staying late, coming early the whole deal,” Reid said. “So his role will continue to increase this week. We're comfortable with that, and I think he's comfortable with it.”
With the Chiefs at 7-0 and having not yet played to their full potential, Hopkins' addition to the receiving unit will be just what Patrick Mahomes needs.
It was the Travis Kelce show against the Raiders, with the tight end totaling 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, but the next best was Xavier Worthy (four catches, 37 yards, and a touchdown).
The hope is that the offense can start to pick up steam with Hopkins' addition and Juju Smith-Schuster's possible return sooner rather than later.
Ranked the ninth-best offense in football (24.7 points per game), the Chiefs have plenty of room to grow, and part of that is getting Hopkins involved as a key cog in Reid's system.
And we will see that against Tampa Bay.
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