Raven Country

DeAndre Hopkins Excited To Work With Ravens Young WRs

The Baltimore Ravens' newest weapon looks forward to playing alongside and learning from his new teammates at the position.

Josh Reed

Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates with Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Sep 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates with Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Ravens officially signed five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a one-year deal on Friday, March 14, which just so happens to be the one-year anniversary of them signing five-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry last offseason.

Unlike his long-time friend, training partner and teammate for the second time in the last three years, Hopkins isn't being brought in to be the No. 1 option at his position. Henry was signed to be the Ravens' featured running back and didn't disappoint with a sensational and highly productive 2024 season.

Hopkins, who is set to turn 33 in June, is joining a young wide receiver room whose average age aside from him is just about 26-years-old and whose top two players at the position are fellow former first-rounders Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

Last season, they established themselves as one of the best ascending young duos in the league as they both had the best seasons of their respective careers. Flowers led the team in receptions (74) and receiving yards (1,059) and became the first Ravens receiver to ever be voted to the Pro Bowl outside of special teams. Bateman recorded career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine).

“The guys that are out there, they are going to get open like they have done the past couple years and hopefully, I can give them a couple of little tricks to help them advance their game a little more,” Hopkins said.

The 12-year veteran is coming in to provide quality depth and form a formidable and potentially lethal trio for opposing secondaries to deal with. He is only one year removed from his seventh season of recording 1,000-plus receiving yards, but is coming off a 2024 season where he split time between two different teams after getting traded ahead of the midseason deadline and wasn't the featured pass catcher in either offense.

Nevertheless, he still managed to put up solid complementary receiving option production last year between his stints with the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs, finishing with 56 catches on 80 targets for 610 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the regular season. In the playoffs, during the Chiefs run to a third straight Super Bowl appearance, he added another three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown in the championship game to his total.

“I’ve definitely been in situations [the] past couple of years when I only got a couple of targets so for me it’s never really bothered me,” Hopkins said. “So for me, I embrace it. I love that there’s a draft every year for the organization to draft ‘the guy’. That’s a part of football and you have to realize and understand that this is a business and that’s how it goes and I love it.”

In addition to being a veteran leader who teaches his younger teammates some valuable tricks of the trade when it comes to making plays and getting open, Hopkins also intends to continue being a student of the game. He vows to be receptive to picking up some tips to improve his game from others who are far less experienced than him if it means getting better.

“If there’s something that they’re doing, I’m sure I’ll ask ‘what are you doing that I can add to my game?’,” Hopkins said. “At this position, you never want to feel like you know everything at the receiver position because there’s always little things you can learn from a scout team guy or a rookie and that’s how you get better.”

Even if Hopkins doesn't put up gaudy production this upcoming season, even numbers that were comparable to his stats from last season would be a solid return on a modern investment. Those kinds of numbers coupled with the impact he'd have on younger players like Flowers, Bateman, 2024 fourth-rounder Devontez Walker and any rookie they might add in the draft this year would be invaluable.

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Josh Reed
JOSH REED

Josh is a writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI focusing primarily on original content and reporting. He provides analysis, breakdowns, profiles, and reports on important news and transactions from and about the Ravens. His professional resume as a sports reporter includes covering local events, teams, and athletes in his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska for Anchorage Daily News. His coverage on the Ravens and other NFL teams has been featured on Heavy.com/sports, Maryland Sports Blog and most recently Baltimore Beatdown from 2021 until 2025.

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