A report Friday morning from Aaron Wilson suggests that the Cleveland Browns have a good chance at signing free agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Wilson also mentions that a Texans reunion is not necessarily on the table.
Signing with Cleveland would reunite Hopkins with his former Texans teammate Deshaun Watson. Hopkins and Watson were quite the duo in Houston, but it is worth noting the last time the two were in the same uniform was 2019. Memory lane is fun and all, but the time between then and now combined with aging and injuries in addition to Watson missing the large chunk of time he has all adds up. There may still be that same connection, but it would not entirely be surprising to see it less effective than it was previously.
Another thing to consider is how DeAndre Hopkins landing in Cleveland would impact their current group of wide receivers. The Browns already have Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones as their top three receivers with Marquise Goodwin being their deep threat. Cleveland also has Nick Chubb in the backfield and David Njoku at the tight end position. Adding in Hopkins to this group is going to take away touches from other players. There is also that next group of wide receivers who are not starters that Hopkins would all but eliminate their contributions such as David Bell and Cedric Tillman.
It would be one thing if Hopkins was filling an immediate need vacated by a departed free agent or injury, neither are the case at the current moment. It is going to come down to how the front office views some of the current players under contract and how they want to construct this roster long term. While adding Hopkins into the mix does provide an immediate talent boost, it would also say a lot about players who many have projected to not be here next season in Cooper and Peoples-Jones. Signing Hopkins would be the first domino to fall in what could be a very different looking wide receiver room next season.
