DeAndre Hopkins injury: Tennessee Titans get positive update on WR

Mike Moraitis

DeAndre Hopkins injury: Tennessee Titans get positive update on WR image

The Tennessee Titans will be without veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for multiple weeks after he suffered a strained knee during practice this week, but it looks like he might be back just in time for Week 1.

Head coach Brian Callahan touched on the injury ahead of Saturday's practice and said it would not require surgery. Callahan first said it would be "several weeks" for Hopkins before later saying "a few weeks." 

"It's not a surgical issue, so the timeline could vary on those injuries," Callahan said, according to Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com. "So it will be a few weeks probably until he's back and ready to roll."

Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky originally reported the timeline for Hopkins' return at four to six weeks, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is hearing Hopkins returning on the shorter end of that timeline is likely.

That's significant because the Titans play their regular-season opener on Sept. 8, which is a shade over five weeks away as of this writing. A four-week recovery timeline gives Hopkins an extra week to get himself ready for Week 1.

Any longer than four weeks and Hopkins is looking at missing games.

The biggest potential issue is Hopkins missing significant practice and preseason  reps during an offseason in which the team is installing a new offense.

However, DHop will undoubtedly remain locked-in to learning the system during his absence and there shouldn't be any concern about that. Adding to that, Hopkins already has a strong chemistry with quarterback Will Levis, so missed reps won't cause an issue in that department.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.