They are breathing much easier in Nashville after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins signed a 2-year, $32 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. There had been talk that the Titans were about to go into a rebuilding mode during the 2023 season, but the presence of Hopkins means that is not going to be the route the franchise takes.

The Titans arguably had the worst receiving group in the league before Hopkins put his signature on a Tennessee contract. Now they have one of the league's best receivers — when healthy — and the group is made much more viable by his presence.

The Titans were desperate for a signature receive. A look at the Tennessee depth chart reveals names like Racey McMath, Treylon Burks, Chris Moore and Colton Dowell at the wide receiver position. If the Titans had not signed Hopkins, it would have resulted in a fairly grim outlook for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

Hopkins is coming off back-to-back injury-plagued seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he still managed to catch 106 passes for 1,289 yards and 11 touchdowns during those 2 years. Prior to the 2021 season, Hopkins caught 104 passes or more in 3 consecutive seasons.

Head coach Mike Vrabel is one of the most competitive leaders in the NFL, and if he had been forced to start the season with the underwhelming receivers on his roster, it would have been very difficult to keep the Titans from sinking in the AFC South. The Titans were 7-10 last season after 3 consecutive playoff seasons.

Give the Titans a grade of A-minus for signing the 31-year-old DeAndre Hopkins. There are no guarantees he will be healthy for 17 games, but his presence raises the bar for the team