What the Patriots mentioned a couple of reported DeAndre Hopkins go to

Patriots

“I am a fan of D-Hop. It will be cool.”

DeAndre Hopkins will reportedly go to the Patriots subsequent week. Photograph by Christian Petersen/Getty Pictures
  • Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) against the Denver Broncos of an NFL football game Sunday, December 18, 2022, in Denver. The Arizona Cardinals released five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Hopkins in a salary cap move Friday, May 26, 2023, after they failed to find a trading partner in the offseason.

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DeAndre Hopkins is coming to Foxborough for a go to subsequent week, based on a number of stories. NFL Network reported the go to first, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss confirmed it.

The Patriots have been talked about among the many groups excited about Hopkins for months now.

Receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned he’d be open to Hopkins becoming a member of New England’s receiver room.

“I’m a fan of D-Hop. It will be cool,” receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned after apply on Friday. “I don’t know the gist of what’s occurring, however he is a superb participant. Something that may assist us win, I’m with.”

Defensive again Adrian Phillips shrugged his shoulders and smiled when requested if he knew about Hopkins’s go to, saying “I can’t actually speak about that, y’all are tying to get me.”

However Phillips has performed towards Hopkins up to now. The very first thing that got here to thoughts about what Hopkins can carry to an offense was Hopkins’s “arms.”

“He catches all the pieces,” Phillips mentioned. “His entire spotlight reel is one-handers and stuff like that. He’s a bodily man and he’s in a position to flip it on at any second.”

The Patriots signed Juju Smith-Schuster throughout the offseason, including him to a receiving corps that features Bourne, DeVante Parker, and Tyquan Thornton. New England misplaced Jakobi Meyers to Las Vegas in free company however drafted a pair of receivers in Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas.

However they may nonetheless use a longtime No. 1 choice at receiver. When requested how gamers reminiscent of Hopkins or Davante Adams have an effect on a protection, Phillips mentioned, “It’s the route working. The toughest factor about receivers is with the ability to cowl them. The quarterback shouldn’t be going to throw the ball to them in the event that they’re not open. So, whenever you’ve acquired guys who’re in a position to run routes and get open it makes it that a lot tougher.”

“After which whenever you add their capacity to catch the ball with their eyes closed, it provides a complete different avenue to it,” Phillips continued. “If you’re going towards guys like that, it makes the sport plan tougher and you actually should hone in as a result of typically whenever you do have them lined, they’re nonetheless in a position to make a play.”

Hopkins missed eight of Arizona’s 17 video games final season, together with a six-game suspension for a violation of the league’s PED coverage. He was nonetheless in a position to haul in 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns throughout his restricted motion.

The Cardinals launched him final month. Patriots coach Invoice Belichick mentioned Hopkins is “the most effective” receivers he’s ever coached towards earlier than the Patriots performed Arizona final December.

“He’s a really good soccer participant, very savvy,” Belichick mentioned on the time. “However his ball expertise are on the very elite degree with guys that I’ve seen on this league. He’s up there with whoever the highest guys are, the Cris Carters of the world and guys like that.”