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Are Tennessee Titans after DeAndre Hopkins? What Mike Vrabel said

nick suss, nashville tennessean
·2 min read
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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) gets a first down while being chased by Tennessee Titans cornerback Janoris Jenkins (20) during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021 in Nashville, Tenn.

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel kept his thoughts on free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins brief on Wednesday.

Hopkins, a five-time All-Pro receiver most recently of the Arizona Cardinals, became a free agent Friday when the Cardinals released him. The Titans had been connected to Hopkins as a trade destination leading up to the NFL draft, and Vrabel and offensive coaches Tim Kelly and Charles London coached Hopkins when he played for the Houston Texans.

But Vrabel didn't commit one way or the other when asked about a potential reunion with Hopkins in Nashville.

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"I think our focus has always been about the players we have here," Vrabel said. "We'll keep you updated as we continue to add players to the roster."

The Titans have young receiver room, led by second-year players Treylon Burks and Kyle Philips, fourth-year player Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and journeyman Chris Moore. Hopkins had 717 receiving yards in nine games last season, the second-fewest in his 10 year career, but it's still 169 more yards than any Titans receiver has had in any year of their career.

Despite the youth and inexperience in the room, the Titans didn't select a wideout until the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, picking UT Martin product Colton Dowell. After the draft, Vrabel spoke about how free agency continues through the offseason and into the season, and the Titans aren't done adding players to the roster.

Vrabel expanded on that point Wednesday.

"Players come available at different times of the year all the way up until the trade deadline," Vrabel said. "Some of those veteran players that may be out there sign throughout the offseason and training camp and even into the season. Player acquisition is always going to be something that you can try to add to your roster at different times."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Are Tennessee Titans after DeAndre Hopkins? What Mike Vrabel said