When the Baltimore Ravens signed 33-year-old DeAndre Hopkins to a one-year, $5 million deal this offseason, many fans used the same word to describe the three-time All-Pro wide receiver: “washed.” After two weeks, Hopkins looks like an incredible addition, but teammate Derrick Henry hopes the haters keep calling him that because it is fueling Hopkins' fire to prove the critics wrong.
“Hopefully, they keep calling him ‘washed' because that s**t has been working,” Henry said after Friday's practice, per ESPN's Jamison Henley. “We need it.”
Through two games, Hopkins has four catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Ravens to a 1-1 record that should have been 2-0 if they could have held their fourth-quarter lead over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. He is currently the team's second-leading pass catcher behind only Zay Flowers.
Adding Hopkins this offseason has given Lamar Jackson another reliable big-play threat in the passing game, which is working out perfectly. Half of Hopkins' catches are touchdowns, and he is averaging just a smidge under 25 yards per reception.
The “washed” label has come from Hopkins' up-and-down years since leaving the Houston Texans, a place he spent the first (and most productive) seven seasons of his career. Since 2020, the former Clemson wideout has played three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, one-plus with the Tennessee Titans, and 10 games with the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro season with the Cardinals, Hopkins has never returned to his All-Star form. He had just one more 1,000-yard campaign (2023) and has not been the go-to guy he was for so many years in Texas.
Now, Hopkins is in a spot where he can flourish as the fourth or fifth option in the Ravens' offense. Handoffs to Henry, Jackson running, Flowers, and even tight end Mark Andrews are higher priorities than Hopkins. The reliable veteran is always there when the team needs him, though, which makes him a perfect fit in Baltimore and a place he can show he is not “washed” after all.
