Titans' DeAndre Hopkins Reveals July Knee Injury Was MCL Tear; Hopes to Play Week 1

Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins revealed his offseason knee injury was an MCL tear, per NFL insider Paul Kuharsky.

"I had the MCL tear maybe four and a half, five weeks ago so the thing about those is it takes a whole year for them to heal," Hopkins said. "Obviously it's pain at that point."

Though a torn MCL typically requires an extended recovery time, he said he hopes to be on the field in Week 1 as the Titans take on the Chicago Bears.

"Right now the way I feel, hopefully I can get out there Sunday and perform," he said.

In 2021 while playing for the Arizona Cardinals, Hopkins suffered a torn MCL that required surgery and forced him to miss the final six games of the season as well as a playoff game. According to Kuharsky, he did not have surgery this time around, but could miss two to three months if he needs surgery later this year.

In his first year with Tennessee, Hopkins led the team with 1,057 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

If Hopkins is sidelined at any point this season, the Titans still have a solid receiving core to rely on. Tennessee signed wide receiver Calvin Ridley this offseason after he posted 1,016 receiving yards and eight touchdowns with the Jacksonville Jaguars a season ago. The Titans also added Tyler Boyd, who had 667 yards and a pair of touchdowns a year ago.

From there, Tennessee would need some solid production from its second-string receivers like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Treylon Burks. Westbrook-Ikhine had 370 receiving yards and three touchdowns a year ago while Burks had 221 receiving yards last season.

The Titans struggled last season, finishing 6-11 while rookie quarterback Will Levis gained his footing. With Levis entering Year 2 and Hopkins seemingly prepared to play early on this season, Tennessee will look to bounce back and make a playoff push for the first time since 2021.