It has been a banner offseason for NFL receivers making headlines. Though this isn’t the good kind of headline.
Five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins is reportedly facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the details:
Cardinals’ Pro-Bowl WR DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
Once the suspension becomes officially official, it will be a monumental setback for the Cardinals top pass-catcher. Losing six games means Hopkins is missing more than one-third of the season. Not only is it a big year for Hopkins, as an individual, it is an important year for the Cardinals as a team. Arizona is looking to build off last year’s playoff appearance, while quarterback Kyler Murray could enter the year without the contract extension he desires. Murray is ultra talented, but it doesn’t mean he won’t miss his top guy.
Then again, maybe the Marquise “Hollywood” Brown trade will soften the blow in that regard. In case you missed it, Brown was sent from the Ravens to the Cardinals as part of a deal that gave Baltimore Arizona’s first-round pick. As it turns out, the move was a timely one as the Cardinals will be without their other top receiver option.
I’ll be curious to see how the suspension will impact the receiver market. And it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals dive into free agency to bolster that receivers room.
Does a six-game suspension for Hopkins merit Arizona reaching out to someone with some star power such as Jarvis Landry or Antonio Brown. Would Will Fuller V, Emmanuel Sanders, T.Y. Hilton, or Keelan Cole make for a sensible option among a secondary tier? Does it mean that Andy Isabella is off the trading block? Isabella, a second-round pick in 2019, was reportedly someone the Cards were shopping. And while he hasn’t lived up to where he was drafted, an able-bodied pass-catcher with an intriguing prospect pedigree is nothing to sneeze at if you were a receiver-needy team. You know … someone like the Bears?
There’s some potential impact here, so let’s keep an eye on this situation and what follows.
