PHOENIX -- DeAndre Hopkins caught the football in stride and cut so sharply and smoothly that defenders clumsily fell to the ground, constructing a clear pathway for him to reach the end zone.
The Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wide receiver embarrassed the Cleveland Browns' defense during a victory a week ago, and he punctuated his touchdown catch with a creative celebration as he cradled the football like a baby before using it as a pillow to rest his head.
Sent to the Cardinals in a controversial, widely criticized trade from the Texans along with a fourth-round draft pick a year ago in exchange for former Arizona All-Pro running back David Johnson and second-round and fourth-round selections, Hopkins is thriving in his second season in the Valley of the Sun. Signed to a two-year, $54.5 million contract extension after the trade that includes $42.75 million guaranteed at signing with a $27.5 million signing bonus, Hopkins is earning the big money he unsuccessfully sought from the Texans and former coach and general manager Bill O’Brien. It was O'Brien, fired last year by Cal McNair after an 0-4 start, who traded Hopkins to Arizona in 2020 due to a contract dispute and a relationship that had deteriorated beyond repair.
And Hopkins is thoroughly enjoying playing for the 6-0 Cardinals, the lone remaining undefeated team in the NFL.
Now, the 1-5 Texans have to deal with Hopkins’ unique blend of size, strength, route-running mastery, hands, body control and competitiveness while catching passes from star quarterback Kyle Murray on Sunday at State Farm Stadium during his first game against the team that drafted him in the first round out of Clemson, a selection by former Texans general manager Rick Smith.
“When you’re going against one of the best receivers playing, there’s a lot of different things you have to deal with,” Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith said. “Just looking at us, we’ve given up too many big plays, kind of starting off with that. Keeping the football in front of us, some of those things. But DeAndre, he’s excellent in one-on-one situations, whether it’s man coverage, just going up and getting the football. No one competes harder than him.
“It’s a challenge, our guys should know that. Of course, they kind of see most of his career and what he’s been able to do. Murray’s about as good a football player as there is in our game right now. He’s the reason why their team is the only undefeated team in football right now, so we could talk on and on about what they do offensively.”
Hopkins already has six touchdown catches, catching 26 passes for 367 yards this season. He had two touchdowns against the Browns out of his three receptions.
“It never hurts to have one of the best wide receivers in the game going out there and stumping for you, and especially a guy who's a friend and I've known for a very long time,” said former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who signed a two-year, $31 million contract with the Cardinals this year after asking and being granted his release. “It doesn't hurt to have a guy that can catch a ball anywhere on the field and score touchdowns and catch a Hail Mary over three guys, that doesn't hurt either to have on your team."
Although Hopkins doesn’t have a 100-yard receiving game yet this season, it could be coming against a Texans secondary that struggled to stop deep throws last Sunday during a 31-3 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Hopkins caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six scores during his first season with Arizona last year.
Hopkins hasn’t conducted any interviews or weighed in on social media this week, but this game obviously carries some emotional significance for him whether he acknowledges it before kickoff or not.
"Talking to him, he hasn't said anything about it, but obviously it's his former team and he spent a lot of years there," quarterback Kyler Murray told Arizona reporters. "So, it might mean a little bit more to him."
The Texans rarely blitz. If they do, it might not be a good idea against Murray.
Murray has competed 27 of 36 passes for 446 yards (75 percent) for a league-high 12.4 yards per attempt when facing at least five pass rushers with five touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 155.8 passer rating. He’s been sacked five times, but has five scrambles for 39 yards against the blitz with four first downs gained.
Should the Texans go after Murray, he’ll certainly be looking for Hopkins breaking free downfield.
“We know this will be a big game for him, us going to his new home,” Texans corner Tremon Smith said. “We just try to contain him the best we can. We know what type of player he is, what type of players they have and the quarterback they have. Just really focusing on ourselves and just doing our assignments, and that should seal that up.”
Hopkins has a proven knack for proving his point that he won’t be stopped by any defensive back. He’s determined to do that against his old team, which looks extremely overmatched against him with no shutdown corners on the roster.
“Just making sure that you are playing him, playing the ball,” cornerback Desmond King said when asked about a strategy against Hopkins. “He’s a receiver that when the ball is thrown his way, 9 times out of 10, he’s going to come down with it. As long as we are in the area and competing all the way until the ball is thrown to the ball is down and whistle blown, that’s all that we can do.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He's on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128
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