New Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has addressed the media ahead of the start of training camp, and he said that head coach Mike Vrabel has allowed him to take a personal leave early in camp for family reasons, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com.

“Mike Vrabel has allowed me to take a personal leave early in camp to take care of some family things,” DeAndre Hopkins said, via Wyatt.

Hopkins appreciates Vrabel's understanding and willingness to grant a personal leave, according to Wyatt.

The Titans landed Hopkins on a two-year, $26 million contract, beating out the New England Patriots for the wide receiver in free agency. The Patriots fanbase was upset to miss out on Hopkins, but the Titans were ultimately willing to commit more financially.

Hopefully Hopkins will be able to develop chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill when he is back from his personal leave. Ryan Tannehill thrived with a wide receiver like AJ Brown on the roster. Hopkins will hope to fill the void that was left when AJ Brown was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason.

When Tannehill and Derrick Henry were paired with an elite receiver like Brown, they were very competitive in the AFC. They missed the playoffs in 2022 when that void was created after trading Brown.

With the emergence of Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars, they will likely be the main competitor to the Titans in the AFC South. It will be intriguing to see if Hopkins can help the Titans reclaim the division in 2023.