The Tennessee Titans’ new offense as devised by rookie coach Brian Callahan is built around the three-pronged attack of veteran wide receivers that quarterback Will Levis has at his disposal. Now, it’s possible Levis could start the season with only two of his prongs.
Veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss four or more weeks with a tweaked knee and possible MCL injury sustained in training camp practices this week, a source with knowledge of the situation informed The Tennessean. The source said Hopkins’ recovery will depend on pain tolerance but it’s not at this time expected that he’ll miss the Titans’ game in Week 1. A second source with knowledge of the situation told The Tennessean that Hopkins was ‘tangled up’ during a practice rep.
Along with Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, Hopkins was a centerpiece of Callahan’s first Titans offense. If he’s not ready for the Week 1 game when the Titans travel to Chicago on Sept. 8, that changes what the team will be able to do in a few key ways. Here’s a dive into three of them.
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Treylon Burks, you’re up
Last training camp it was Treylon Burks who hurt his knee in practice and put his status for Week 1 into jeopardy. This summer, it’s the third-year receiver’s turn to step up when called upon. The Titans’ first-round pick in 2022, Burks has had a solid training camp working primarily in the second rotation of receivers, but he’s the logical candidate to step in for Hopkins, especially as an outside receiver.
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Burks trimmed more weight from his frame than usual this offseason, arriving at camp with a more chiseled but lighter physique. He’s made a couple of highlight grabs, including a catch in the 7-on-7 period of Wednesday’s practice where he plucked a pass over the head of cornerback Tre Avery in man coverage and toe-tapped down the sideline to secure possession.
One advantage Burks has over some of his peers in replacing Hopkins is purely physical. Hopkins, Boyd, Ridley, Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine are the only pass catchers consistently earning first-team reps who are bigger than 5-foot-11. Since Kyle Philips, Mason Kinsey, Jha’Quan Jackson, Kearis Jackson and Tre’Shaun Harrison are all on the smaller side, and given Boyd’s history playing in the slot in Callahan’s offenses, perimeter reps make more sense for the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Burks.
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More tight ends? More running backs?
The Titans have used tight ends Chig Okonkwo and Josh Whyle fairly interchangeably throughout camp. Whyle seems to have developed impressive chemistry with Levis, and Okonkwo has been one of the quarterback’s favorite targets in drills through the first two weeks of camp. Combine those developments with the fact that running backs Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard are both capable of splitting out wide or catching from the backfield and it’s plausible that the Titans could paper over a Hopkins injury with reinforcements from other position groups.
Burks’ potential and Westbrook-Ikhine’s consistency are more likely to be counted on than a player moving positions wholesale, but that doesn’t mean volume usage can’t go up for some of the Titans’ other skill players.
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If Hopkins missed the first two weeks of the season as could be possible on the long end of his timeline, that could make life awfully difficult for Ridley. The Titans’ first two opponents, the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, have defenses headlined by cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Sauce Gardner, the two highest-graded cornerbacks in the NFL last season per Pro Football Focus. In four games against teams featuring top-10-graded cornerbacks last season, Ridley was only targeted twice in coverage against those players.
Having Hopkins to draw attention away from Ridley in those marquee matchups would be a huge plus for the Titans, and not having him could mean some long days for the Titans’ most important offseason offensive addition.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick atnsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.