Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins never played on the same team together, but the two did cross paths once as players and many times during Ryans’ time with the San Francisco 49ers.
Hopkins lined up against Ryans once as a player in 2014 when Hopkins played for the Texans and Ryans played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Then, Ryans had to game plan against Hopkins twice a year during the wideout’s three years with the Arizona Cardinals.
As such, Ryans grew to admire Hopkins as one of the best wide receivers of his generation. And this weekend he’ll face Hopkins as the head coach of their former team.
“You talk about contested catches, he’s one of the best, if not, the best in the league,” Ryans said Wednesday. “He does a really good job even though he doesn’t have to separate much because he has such a great catch radius and he’s competitive at the catch point. He’s also been an explosive, dynamic player in this league for a very long time.”
Hopkins signed with the Titans this past offseason after the Cardinals released him. The 31-year-old managed to have a solid season despite playing with an aging Ryan Tannehill and rookie Will Levis. Hopkins has 57 receptions for 898 yards and six touchdowns this year – his best numbers since 2020.
Ryans knows he’ll need to scheme up a good defense to stop Hopkins, who’s in the midst of his best season since 2020. Hopkins, who signed with the Titans this past offseason after the Cardinals released him, has 57 receptions for 898 yards and six touchdowns this year with an aging Ryan Tannehill and rookie Will Levis at quarterback.
“Tough matchup. He’s their number one guy,” Ryans added. “A friendly target for a young quarterback to throw to. Hopkins has made a ton of plays for them. You see the speed down the field, you see the catch radius. He’s having a great year.”
Hopkins cut his teeth in the NFL in Houston. He played seven years for the Texans after being drafted No. 27 in 2014 and made four Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams during his time in Houston.
He’s gotten a bit older since leaving the Texans, but has still shown he’s one of the better receivers in the NFL.