DeAndre Hopkins Visit Will Say A Lot About Receiver's Market And Titans Direction

The truth is the free agent market for DeAndre Hopkins has been lukewarm since he was released by the Arizona Cardinals nearly two weeks ago.

Teams have called his representation.

There's been lots of speculation about his market and which Super Bowl caliber team might be interested.

But no one has really stepped up seriously enough to warrant a visit. Until now.

DeAndre Hopkins Heads To Nashville

Hopkins will visit the Tennessee Titans early next week, a source confirmed. NFL Media was the first to report the visit.

And this is interesting.

Because the Titans can definitely use the wide receiver help. And Hopkins can definitely use the free agency love right now.

But is this really it?

The Titans, it should be noted, could greatly benefit from Hopkins on the roster. The most notable wide receiver on the roster currently is Treylon Burks, who is entering his second season but needs to make a leap from 33 receptions for 444 yards and 1 TD as a rookie.

Titans Receivers Are Unproven

Everyone else? It's the no-name receiver room.

Kyle Phillips. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. Chris Moore. Colton Dowell. Racey McMath.

Some other guys.

It is one of the least proven receiver rooms in the NFL. Hopkins, with six 1,000-yard seasons in 10 years, would greatly improve that receiver corps.

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, in the final year of his Titans contract and needing some significant production to continue as an NFL starter, could definitely use the help.

But there are questions.

Question 1: Do the Titans actually fit what Hopkins said he wanted out of his next team?

Ryan Tannehill Needs Help

Remember Hopkins said before he was waived he'd like to play for a team with a chance to win it all. He wanted a team that has a great defense. Hopkins said he'd like to play for a great organization. He also said he wants a collaborative, proven quarterback.

Well, Tannehill is collaborative. Except for Mike Wallace. That didn't work out too well.

The Titans had an acceptable but not great defense last season. They were tied for 14th in points allowed which is basically middle of the pack.

And as for the organization, the question becomes what kind of organization are the Titans?

What Are Titans Doing In 2023?

They have an outstanding head coach in Mike Vrabel. But he's refashioned his coaching staff this offseason. General manager Ran Carthon, meanwhile, is in his first year.

And a lot of the moves this offseason were to release players that were previously brought in to win big and actually helped the team earn the No. 1 seed in the 2021 playoffs.

So is that what Hopkins feels comfortable with?

Question 2: What are the Titans doing?

You just read they've undergone a lot of change this offseason.

Bud Dupree is gone. So are Ben Jones, Zack Cunningham, Taylor Lewan, and Robert Woods.

DeAndre Hopkins For One Year?

The team that reached for Julio Jones as the final piece of a presumptive Super Bowl charge some years ago, this offseason is going with lesser names on shorter contracts. So Sean Murphy-Bunting, Azeez Al-Shaair, Arden Key, Luke Gifford, Andre Dillard.

Not the big splash.

Is Hopkins the new Julio Jones reach? Or what exactly?

The Titans seem set up to replace Tannehill after this season after having drafted Will Levis in the second round.

And the team also asked team leader Kevin Byard to take a pay cut, which resulted in him sitting out OTAs.

So is this team in the middle of a reset for the future? Or are they trying to continue competing now?

The Hopkins interest suggests they still want to compete in 2023. But the contract they offer Hopkins, assuming it gets that far, will be a greater barometer of that.

If the Titans offer a one-year deal, it's clear they remain on course for the reset that is focused on the future. If they offer a multi-year deal that actually meets the Hopkins salary demands, it suggests the Titans want to continue to fight for the AFC South now and want the veteran for the future.

Lots riding on one free agency visit.

Follow on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero