Former star DeAndre Hopkins would consider a return
The Texans have a clear need at wide receiver, and there may be a recognizable option to address it. The Cardinals officially released DeAndre Hopkins on Tuesday, and the 30-year-old receiver is eligible to sign with any team.
Hopkins, who was a three-time All-Pro while playing for the Texans, is interested in re-joining his former team, a person with knowledge of the situation said. Hopkins is gauging multiple teams as a free agent, and those include the franchise that once traded him. But he spent seven seasons with the Texans after they made him their 2013 first-round pick, and he still has family living in Houston.
The Texans, who are emerging from their rebuild, have overhauled both their roster and front office since former coach Bill O’Brien infamously traded Hopkins to the Cardinals before the 2020 season. They spent the No. 2 overall pick on Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, and general manager Nick Caserio upgraded the roster with his first flush free agency cycle.
One of the major obstacles hindering a possible reunion is Houston’s cap space situation. The Texans will only have about $5.7 million in cap space upon signing Stroud and No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr., according to Over the Cap. Hopkins was playing on a two-year, $54.5 million extension with the Cardinals, and although his next contract likely won’t be that lucrative, the Texans would have to clear more space to acquire him.
Houston’s budget isn’t anywhere near final for the year. The franchise will cut almost half its roster by the end of training camp, although only 51 of those contracts count toward the team’s cap space during the offseason. There are critical position battles in which there are veterans the Texans could save significant money by cutting: linebacker Christian Kirksey ($5.25 million), cornerback Desmond King ($3 million), swing tackle Charlie Heck ($2.92 million), center Scott Quessenberry ($2.45 million).
The Texans do have one of the NFL’s largest budgets in future seasons, in which they could realistically fit higher-salary contracts. They have the second-highest projected salary cap in 2024 ($118.9 million) and the third-largest budget in 2025 ($194 million). Caserio has already tapped into that future money by signing left tackle Laremy Tunsil (three years, $75 million) and right guard Shaq Mason (three years, $36 million) to extensions.
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Hopkins could supply the Texans with the dynamic receiver they need. Questions abound within the position group. Robert Woods, who signed a two-year deal in the offseason, is entering his second full season after a 2021 ACL tear, and he recorded career-lows in yards (527) and yards per reception (9.9) in a Titans offense that had similar depth issues at receiver.
No other pass-catcher on Houston’s roster has been a reliable No. 1 or No. 2 receiver. Nico Collins, Houston’s 2021 third-round pick, has missed 10 games in two seasons with various injuries. John Metchie III, who battled leukemia as a rookie, will miss offseason workouts with a hamstring injury. The Texans drafted University of Houston slot receiver Tank Dell in the third round, plus Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson, a three-time All-Big 12 receiver, in the sixth round. But it’d be unreasonable to expect either Dell or Hutchinson to emerge as top receivers in their first season.
There’s a reasonable scenario with Houston’s current roster in which Woods, Collins and Metchie become the team’s top options at receiver. The Texans also signed Noah Brown, who logged a career-high 43 catches, 555 yards and three touchdowns last year with the Cowboys, his first season with more than a 33 percent share of the offense’s total snap counts. Brown’s snaps lined up in the slot (390) and split out wide (475) were almost evenly split, and he could secure the slot role if Metchie isn’t yet ready by the start of the regular season.
“I’m not setting any expectations on Metch,” wide receiver coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels said. “I certainly will not put any ceilings on him (either). He’s proved to everybody that that’s unnecessary, and he’ll attempt to shatter those ceilings. My expectations are high for him returning whenever that is and hitting the ground running.”
Hopkins holds his own questions. After making the Pro Bowl in his first year with the Cardinals, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear 10 games into the 2021 season. But he returned seven games into the 2022 season and recorded 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games, playing with a collection of quarterbacks that included Colt McCoy, Trace McSorley and David Blough following Kyler Murray’s season-ending ACL injury.
Newly hired coach DeMeco Ryans was asked last week about a possible reunion with former Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who is also a free agent. Ryans said “we always look at any players that can help us win. We’ll explore all options. I’ll never throw anyone off the table. Everything is an option for me.”
“Everything” reasonably includes Hopkins. Caserio has said often that his personnel department constantly explores ways to better the team. They’d just have to decide whether spending money on Hopkins is worth it. Cash is a relatively new asset for the Texans, who’ve mostly stocked up on draft capital in the Caserio era. It’s not yet certain what positions Caserio is willing to spend money on, but free agency signings protect the Texans from trading any of their eight draft picks in 2024.
“We’ll look at everything,” Caserio is prone to say. How will they look at Hopkins?
Source: Houston Chronicle
