The Case For Reuniting Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins
Photo Credit: Kelvin Kuo via USA TODAY Sports
Every top-tier quarterback needs a true No. 1 receiver.
Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce. Josh Allen has Stefon Diggs. Joe Burrow has Ja’Marr Chase. Then if you look back in time, Tom Brady had Rob Gronkowski, Steve Young and Joe Montana had Jerry Rice. Even Peyton Manning had Marvin Harrison.
In order for Deshaun Watson to take another step back towards stardom after a tumultuous two years that were plagued by suspensions and sexual assault claims, the former Clemson Tiger needs to reunite with his ideal counterpart: free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Watson acknowledged that he had spoken with Hopkins after the Cardinals released the former Pro Bowl wide receiver in May, and Sal Paolatonio recently said on ESPN Radio that the Browns were “lurking” when speaking about Hopkins’ landing spot. Outside of that, the Browns haven’t seemed to be in the race for the former first-team All Pro’s services, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be.
Hopkins is entering his age 31 season. When healthy, he’s been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Over his 10-year career, the 6’1” receiver has tallied over 11,000 receiving yards and recently surpassed 70 receiving touchdowns.
What makes the idea of reuniting Watson and Hopkins even more appealing is they had some of their best seasons when they played together in Houston.
In 2018, Watson’s first year as the full-time starter for the Texans, he completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,165 yards and 26 touchdowns. A majority of the quarterback’s targets went Hopkins’ way as he turned in one of the best seasons of his career.
The former first-round pick was named a first-team All-Pro and also earned Pro Bowl honors for the second-straight season. He caught 115 passes for 1,572 yards — both of which were career highs — along with recording 11 touchdown receptions.
The pair was just as strong in 2019, their final season together in Houston. Watson threw for 3,852 yards and 26 touchdowns while completing 67.3% of his passes. Hopkins garnered a team-high 150 targets, 79 more than the next-closest Texans receiver, and tallied 1,165 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
The duo’s previous success and familiarity with one other gives the Browns a solid understanding of what Hopkins could bring to the offense. He’d give their multi-million dollar quarterback another top-tier option on the outside, but he’d also add another weapon to an offense that is already full of them.
With Jacoby Brissett under center for part of last season, wide receiver Amari Cooper tallied a team-high 1,160 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches. Donovan Peoples-Jones was the second option with 839 receiving yards and three touchdowns while tight end David Njoku caught 58 passes for 628 yards and four touchdowns.
Add in other dangerous options like wide receiver Elijah Moore and running back Nick Chubb and the Browns aren’t short on options for the 2023 season. But, adding an offensive threat like Hopkins, who even at his age has still shown the ability to perform at a high level, will give Watson more opportunities to spread the ball around.
When Watson has had options at his disposal, he’s been able to tear defenses apart. During the 2020 season, Watson’s final year in Houston, he set career highs in several offensive categories. He passed for a league-leading 4,823 yards and tallied 33 passing touchdowns while completing 70.2% of his passes. He also led the league in yards per pass attempt (8.9) and yards per completion (12.6). This was all while spreading the ball around to several different receivers, seven of whom recorded 300 or more receiving yards and six of whom tallied 30 receptions or more.
Brandin Cooks led the team in receiving yards that season with 1,150 and found the end zone six times. Will Fuller added eight more scores with 879 yards. If the Browns are able to add Hopkins to the bevy of weapons they already have, Watson could take even a bigger step forward than he did in 2020.
Having Chubb in the backfield as one of the best running backs in the game who rushed for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns on 302 attempts last year will open up the passing game for Watson.
Cooper gives the multi-million-dollar quarterback a more than capable option on the outside, while Njoku is an up-and-coming player at the tight-end position. The two combined for 13 touchdown catches last season.
As an offseason addition, Moore gives the Browns a secondary option opposite of Cooper and is looking to prove himself after a disappointing two-year stint with the New York Jets. The 5’10” receiver had a solid career at Ole Miss and was drafted by the Jets early in the second round of the 2021 draft but he never caught on in New York after his rookie season was plagued by a quad injury.
With Moore lacking height, Hopkins would also give the Browns another red-zone threat alongside Njoku, whose four touchdowns last season came inside the 20-yard line.
The Browns will have plenty of offensive weapons heading into this season but with Watson looking to return to form after a stormy two years, the more targets he has to throw to the better. Pairing him up with a former teammate who he’s had success with in the past will only help the cause.
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