NASHVILLE — The status of five-time Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be a game-time decision for the Tennessee Titans when they visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.
He returned to practice this week while recovering from a left knee injury sustained July 31. Hopkins, who turned 32 in June, said missing essentially the entire preseason is not a problem for him.
“I played a lot of football, so it’s not a challenge,” Hopkins said.
He also dismissed reports he won’t play against the Bears as he recovers from the injury, which didn’t require surgery.
“I don’t watch reports,” Hopkins said. “I just go out and practice. So I guess we’ll see Sunday.”
Brian Callahan, who will make his regular-season debut as Tennessee’s head coach, said after practice Friday that team isn’t worried about Hopkins’ knee being a problem all season or a worse injury than the receiver initially had. The Titans plans to monitor how much he plays, just as they would for anyone who has missed a lot of practice.
“To ask a guy to go in there and play an entire game every snap is a tough ask,” Callahan said. “But it’s funny what happens on game day sometimes, and the adrenaline gets flowing and all of a sudden they say, ‘I’m good, man, let me play.'”
Callahan said the only Tennessee players ruled out for the opener are safety Jamal Adams (hip) and linebacker Otis Reese IV (concussion protocol). Defensive back Chidobe Awuzie (calf) was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report, the same designation Hopkins had.
Hopkins, who played all 17 games last season, his first with Tennessee, had a sleeve on his left knee Thursday but not while the team warmed up on Friday. He credited the Titans for trusting him with a unique approach to his recovery.
“This organization trusted me to go to California and rehab with some experienced people, with guys who deal with this injury all the time,” Hopkins said Thursday. “So, you know, just taking it day by day. But I feel great.”
Callahan said Hopkins came to him with how he wanted to handle his recovery and talked regularly with the Titans, especially vice president of sports medicine Todd Toriscelli.
“We decided that a guy that’s played as long as he’s played knows what he needs, and so we allowed him go get the treatment that he felt like he needed to be ready to play for week one,” Callahan said. “So it was pretty straightforward. And he was great just really getting what he needed and what he wanted.”
Hopkins is the top receiver in the NFL’s most accomplished group this season when measured by total receptions (1,908) or receiving yards (24,654). The Titans signed Tyler Boyd and Calvin Ridley in the offseason, adding them to 2022 first-round draft pick Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. The sixth receiver is rookie Jha’Quan Jackson, a sixth-round pick in April.
The group is led by Hopkins, who is going into his 12th NFL season. He leads all active NFL players with 928 catches and 12,355 receiving yards since entering the league in 2013. His 78 touchdown catches are third among active players, trailing Davante Adams (95) and Mike Evans (94). Hopkins is tied with Antonio Brown for 21st in NFL history for career receptions.
Hopkins sees great energy with a group that is drastically different from last year’s Titans.
“Everyone has the same goal. You know, people came from different teams, but you can’t tell that we haven’t played together for years,” he said, adding those are “signs of a good football team.”