Yet another blockbuster NFL trade went through Wednesday morning. DeAndre Hopkins is headed to Kansas City and should surely land in a Chiefs offense that will properly utilize his skills. The Will Levis experiment in Tennessee isn’t quite going as planned and it was time for a change going into Week 8.
But ultimately, with Hopkins landing with the best active quarterback in the NFL, there are some teams that have questions to be answered on why they didn’t pursue Hopkins. The Chiefs gave up a conditional fourth-round pick to acquire Hopkins so with a low-cost move, who’s kicking themselves for not calling?
5. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys need some offensive help and while the run game should be the immediate focus, adding Hopkins to that offense wouldn’t have been a bad move. Dallas doesn’t look nearly as good as they were hoping to be.
Jerry Jones has effectively ruined this season saying they were going “all-in” just to be quiet in the offseason and in-season moves. I’m not saying the Cowboys need to be desperate in making moves, but having Hopkins available with a low-cost move seemed practical.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay lost Chris Godwin to a leg injury and it lost Mike Evans to a hamstring injury in its loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers should have inquired about what it would take to bring Hopkins down south. They need wide receiver help and he could have provided that.
Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP candidate quarterback this season and he’s proven he’s even better with a true No. 1 option. Hopkins could have been that for him while Evans rehabs.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are very much still in contention for a playoff spot but have some depth issues at wide receiver thanks to injuries. They should have been aggressive in adding a proven deep threat. Instead, they allowed their division rival to pull off the move first.
When the Chargers have to inevitably face Hopkins in their second meeting against the Chiefs this year, if Hopkins torches them, they’ll only have themselves to blame.
2. New York Giants
New York needs some depth at wide receiver. As good as Malik Nabers has been, they should have added a second weapon for Daniel Jones. While they have good speed, they need a true red-zone threat. Hopkins could have been that player.
The Giants are in a tough division and have just two wins so it makes sense maybe it wouldn’t have been the best fit, but Hopkins could have been that target for Jones to help the Giants find the endzone more.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The passing game is probably the one thing holding the Pittsburgh Steelers back from running away with the division. George Pickens hasn’t quite grown to that true No. 1 threat yet. Hopkins could have been just as much of a mentor as a player who could be that true go-to pass-catcher in the offense.
In the process, it could have opened up the offense a little bit more for Pickens to find a true role for himself.