Former Arizona Cardinals receiver signed with the wrong team in 2023

If there is one good thing about former Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Tennessee Titans, it’s that he will get to wear one of those nifty Houston Oilers throwback uniforms. Other than that, why he signed with Tennessee is a mystery that we need to solve. I mean, it wasn’t long ago that this was what Hopkins said he wanted:

""For me, that's it: great management, a QB who loves the game and a great defense.""

- DeAndre Hopkins

Source: Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins wants 'stable management upstairs' more than anything in 2023 and beyond by Nick Shook, NFL.com

So let’s take a moment and break down the Tennessee Titans management, which is anything but stable as they fired their former general manager Jon Robinson during the 2022 season and brought on a first-timer in Ran Carthon. Perhaps Carthon will bring excellent management to the up-and-down Titans, but at his point, he’s no proven name. 

Former Arizona Cardinals receiver makes a questionable decision

Now, let’s look at the Titans “great quarterback,” who happens to be Ryan Tannehill. Not only has Tannehill been nothing more than an above-average starter throughout his career, but he also regressed last season, finishing the year 6-6 with a 65.2% completion percentage (career-low with Tennessee), and just 13 touchdown passes, which when averaged to 17 games, gives you between 18 and 19 on the season.

Obviously, Tannehill isn’t a great quarterback, and to top things off, 2022 was also the first year he didn’t have a fourth quarter comeback or a game-winning drive, per Pro-Football-Reference. Finally, his QBR was just 49.1, the first time it had been below-average since he signed with Tennessee. 

And finally, the Titans defense finished 23rd last season and 32nd in passing defense. They did, however, finish first in rushing defense, but you can put an asterisk by that. They faced just 390 rushing attempts all season while opponents put up a league-leading 671 pass attempts on them.

And free agency-wise, there is nothing much for Tennessee to get excited about on the defensive side of the ball. So in short, it’s tough to see why Hopkins picked the Titans, as it contradicted everything he looked for in his new team. 

Maybe it will work for Hopkins in Tennessee, but I’m not holding my breath. If I were to make a projection right now, things will get sour real fast between Hopkins and his new team. 

Source: Domino effect of DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Tennessee Titans by Will Lomas, TitanSized.com

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)