Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had a trying 2018 season in terms of injuries. Not only did he deal with a nagging foot problem, but he also played through a serious shoulder injury he suffered in the Texans' playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
“I tore ligaments in my shoulder completely off the bone,” Hopkins said per John McClane of the Houston Chronicle. “I tried to play even though I had only one (good) arm. We had a good team, and we had something good going. I know they needed me. It was hard.”
Hopkins played the entire game, which the Texans lost 21-7. But he was clearly limited due to the injury as he finished with just five catches for 37 yards.
Hopkins also didn't miss a single regular-season game despite his foot issue. He continued to play at a high level as he finished with 115 catches for 1,572 yards and 11 touchdowns and made first-team All-Pro for a second straight season.
The star wideout acknowledged how difficult playing through the injuries were, but he just wanted to help his team succeed that badly.
“Last year was tough, not just physically but mentally,” Hopkins said. “It's the most banged up I've ever been playing football. I was dealing with serious injuries a lot of people would have sat down for. But we had a good team that depended on me, and I never gave a thought to not playing unless the doctors told me I couldn't.”
Hopkins has spent most of the offseason rehabbing his foot and shoulder injuries and says he expects to be back to his best in time for the 2019 season.
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