NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be a game-time decision Sunday for the Tennessee Titans’ season opener in Chicago after returning to practice this week while recovering from a left knee injury he suffered July 31.
Hopkins, who turned 32 in June, says 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 that didn’t require surgery.
“I don’t watch reports,” Hopkins said. “I just go out and practice. So, I guess we’ll see Sunday.”
First-year coach Brian Callahan said after practice Friday that the Titans aren’t worried about Hopkins’ knee being an issue all season or of a worse injury than the receiver initially had. The Titans plan to monitor how much he plays 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 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.’”
Hopkins, who played all 17 games last year with Tennessee, had a sleeve on his left knee Thursday but not in warmups 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 1,” 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 Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd this offseason, adding them to 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
Rookie Jha’Quan Jackson is the sixth receiver as a sixth-round pick out of Tulane whose uncle just happens to be Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed.
The group is led by Hopkins going into his 12th NFL season and second with Tennessee. He leads all active players with 928 receptions and 12,355 yards receiving since entering the league in 2013. Only Davante Adams (95) and Mike Evans (94) have more than Hopkins’ 78 career touchdown catches.
Hopkins currently is tied with Antonio Brown for 21st in NFL history for career receptions.
Chicago’s receiving corps ranks third for combined total catches, fourth in receiving yards and eighth in TD catches.
Hopkins sees great energy with a group that is drastically different from last year’s Titans.
“Everyone has the same goal,” Hopkins said. “You know, people came from different teams, but you can’t tell that we haven’t played together for years and (that’s) signs of a good football team.”
Status update
Callahan said only S Jamal Adams (hip) and LB Otis Reese IV (concussion protocol) will miss the opener.
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