The Washington Commanders have one of the NFL’s best offenses, which doesn’t mean they still can’t make improvements to that group.
One of the most persistent rumors about the Commanders for the last month has been that the franchise might be in the market to trade for another elite wide receiver to play alongside veteran Terry McLaurin.
The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher thinks that player could be Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who he proposed the Commanders could obtain by sending a 2025 third round pick to the Titans in exchange for the 5-time NFL All-Pro as well as a 2025 sixth round pick.
“(Quarterback) Jayden Daniels would really benefit by having another option in the receiving game that can beat 1-on-1 coverage,” Mosher wrote. “DeAndre Hopkins is the best receiver who might be able to, and he is stuck on one of the league’s worst pass offenses. The Titans are 1-5, and it’s clear that they have no chance of making a second-half run to the postseason. While they likely won’t be ‘sellers’ at the deadline, trading a 32-year-old Hopkins does make sense as they try to rebuild the offense.”
Hopkins has been one of the NFL’s elite wide receivers for the last decade and might be a stout investment for the Commanders — while paying roughly half of his $14 million salary in 2024 would be a big spend he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, so there’s not a long-term investment.
The NFL trade deadline is November 5.
Hopkins One Of NFL’s Most Respected Players
Hopkins bona fides in the NFL are unquestioned — he’s been one of the league’s most respected players and top pass catchers since the Houston Texans selected him in the first round (No. 27 overall) out of Clemson in the 2013 NFL draft.
Over the next decade, Hopkins became a 5-time NFL All-Pro and 5-time Pro Bowler with 7 seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards with 3 different teams — the Texans, Arizona Cardinals and Titans.
Hopkins had a career-high 115 receptions to go with 1,407 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns for the Cardinals in 2020 when current Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was his head coach.
“Another reason why this fit makes sense is that Hopkins has already played in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense when he was the head coach in Arizona,” Mosher wrote. “Hopkins loved playing with Kingsbury and averaged nearly 80 receiving yards per game in their final year together (2022). Hopkins isn’t capable of posting those types of numbers anymore, but the Commanders don’t need him to. They just need him to be a reliable and consistent No. 2 receiver, and he can certainly still do that.”
Commanders Might Be Fine Without Making Move
One distinct advantage the Commanders have — and one it’s probably bizarre for their fans to acknowledge — is they’re in a position of power when it comes to any trade because their offense is already playing at such a high level.
Looking ahead, the Commanders are 4-2 and have 3 highly winnable games before the trade deadline — back-to-back home games against the Carolina Panthers (October 20) and Chicago Bears (October 27) before hitting the road to face the New York Giants (November 3).
