Titans OC Tim Kelly Says DeAndre Hopkins has 'Done a Great Job' Learning Offense

Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was expected to be familiar with some elements of the offense under new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, but Kelly talked about how Hopkins is learning the new material and the impact he's had on his teammates.

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans were able to add DeAndre Hopkins and one of the major selling points for the move was the experience Hopkins had playing for Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly during their days together with the Houston Texans.

Hopkins would obviously have some carryover knowledge of elements of Kelly's playbook, but with different personnel and a different head coach in Tennessee, surely Kelly's playbook is different than it was during his Texans days.

Kelly spoke on Tuesday about how Hopkins is doing and how he is handling learning the playbook. It should be no surprise that according to Kelly, Hopkins is doing very well. Not only remembering what he has done before with Kelly, but having a good grasp of the new information.

"He's done a great job," Kelly explained. "He's come in, learning the formations, learning how we do things, learning some of the different concepts that he may not have had while we were together in Houston. But he's done a great job in the meetings, learning, taking notes. Doing everything he needs to do to make sure he's learning the offense as a whole in it's entirety and really not just memorizing his particular job on that one particular play. He's done a great job of coming in here and getting caught up to speed."

Hopkins has been one of the stars of training camp so far and has been a constant target for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Hopkins seems to be applying that knowledge and learning to the field. That, along with the reputation Hopkins brings, has already influenced his teammates.

"It gets those guys playing at a higher level," Kelly confirmed. "With him out here, you see some of the catches he's made already in 1-on-1s, the back-shoulders, things along those lines and you look over and see Treylon(Burks) running by guys. There is a sense of competition in that room in terms of wanting to make sure they're going out there and winning consistently. That's what we need them to do, that's their job. Be able to go out there, get open, win against man-to-man coverage and catch the football. When you have a guy who has done it at a high level, everyone wants to be able to play up to that standard."

Hopkins being ahead on the learning curve due to that past history and the impact he can have on impressionable teammates seem like huge pluses for a Titans offense that desperately needs a shot of playmaking after a 2022 season that saw them finish second to last in the NFL in points per game. 

Titans Training Camp Stories

• Malik's Revenge: The Tennessee Titans second-year passer is under a ton of pressure, but Malik Willis responded very well to an interception with a long touchdown pass on the next play. CLICK HERE
• Titans Creative Offense: The Tennessee Titans focused on the red zone at Monday's practice and that brought some unique and exciting plays out of the playbook for Tim Kelly's new offense. CLICK HERE
• Levis Catches Fire: The Tennessee Titans' rookie pass Will Levis comes out on fire at training camp and throws five touchdown passes including three straight scoring throws in 7-on-7 drill. CLICK HERE