Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins shares thoughts on facing the Houston Texans, his former team
Whatever happened between wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the Houston Texans in the past is ancient history now.
"Man, I've been through a lot of real scenarios in life that me being traded to another NFL team is not a negative," the Tennessee Titans star receiver said ahead of his upcoming rematch against his former team.
Hopkins played seven seasons with Houston, catching 632 passes for 8,602 yards and 54 touchdowns. He made four Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams in his tenure, leading the league in receiving touchdowns in 2017. The Texans traded Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals ahead of the 2020 season at the height of his career, shipping him off in exchange for running back David Johnson and draft picks.
Hopkins faced the Texans once in a Cardinals uniform, catching seven passes for 53 yards and a touchdown in a 31-5 Cardinals win.
In the seven games since Will Levis took over as the Titans' starting quarterback, Hopkins has re-emerged as one of the NFL's most productive pass catchers. He has 30 receptions for 522 yards with six touchdowns, including a pair of 100-yard games. He starred against the Dolphins, catching seven passes for 124 yards and a score.
Hopkins said he still lives in Houston in the offseason and still has love for the people and fans, even if his tenure with the Texans was cut short.
"I'm grateful for everything," Hopkins said. "The city, the organization, what they did for me and my family. ... It's a lot of love. There's still a lot of support, a lot of people still upset about me not being there. I understand. But it's still a lot of love there."
Injury updates
The Titans will be without a number of their most important contributors Sunday when they battle the Houston Texans.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel ruled out defensive tackles Jeffery Simmons and Teair Tart, wide receiver Kyle Philips and tight end Josh Whyle for the Titans (5-8) against the Texans (7-6) at Nissan Stadium on Sunday (noon, CBS). This comes after the team placed cornerback Kristian Fulton and defensive tackle Kyle Peko on injured reserve earlier in the week and with veteran starters like center Aaron Brewer, defensive lineman Denico Autry and guard Daniel Brunskill still on the injury report.
Simmons missed Monday's win over the Miami Dolphins because of a knee injury he sustained in the previous week's game against the Indianapolis Colts. Simmons' injury is not considered season-ending and Simmons told The Tennessean he does not anticipate needing surgery to fix it.
Without Simmons, Peko and Tart, the Titans' defensive line depth is limited to journeyman Jaleel Johnson, rookie TK McLendon and recent signees Quinton Bohanna and Keondre Coburn, added off the practice squads of the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins readies for reunion vs. Texans
