Deshaun Watson on DeAndre Hopkins: Of course we’d love to have him
From 2017-2019, quarterback Deshaun Watson and receiver DeAndre Hopkins were teammates on the Texans.
Now that Hopkins is set to become a free agent, there’s a possibility they could reunite in Cleveland.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Tuesday that the Browns will explore all avenues, but really like the receivers room they already have. But Watson seems like he would absolutely welcome a reunion with Hopkins.
“Me and D-Hop, we just naturally talk. We’ve been talking since the Houston days, and whenever he was in Arizona, we were always talking,” Watson said at the Browns Foundation Golf outing, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “He’s always been a brother of mine since I was coming out of high school. Our connection, our relationship has always been great. And I know there’s a lot of things swirling around in the media about him possibly coming to Cleveland. For me, my answer to that is, of course we’d love to have him.
“He knows that. We have a lot of connections, but it’s kind of out my range of things of trying to coordinate things. All I can do is make a call and see what happens and let AB [G.M. Andrew Berry] do the rest.”
While Watson started only six games as a rookie due to a torn ACL, the connection between the quarterback and Hopkins helped lead Houston to back-to-back division titles in 2018 and 2019.
Hopkins caught 115 passes for a career-high 1,572 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2018. And then he had 104 receptions for 1,165 yards with seven touchdowns in 2019.
“He just makes throws a lot easier, his range, his catch radius is super,” Watson said. “Probably the best in the league. Just the things he does, makes my job a lot easier.”
Watson also added that Hopkins would love to play for the Browns because the club has a lot of what the receiver is looking for.
We’ll see in the coming days how the market for Hopkins shapes up.
Deshaun Watson on DeAndre Hopkins: Of course we’d love to have him originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
