Asked about DeAndre Hopkins, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praises the team’s wide receivers room
Hopkins might be on the market, but Sirianni poured cold water on it. The coach says he's high on how Quez Watkins and the rest of the wide receivers on the team have looked.
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When asked about the potential of the Eagles signing star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, coach Nick Sirianni gave a vote of confidence to the current group of receivers.
Sirianni wouldn’t rule out the possibility of the team signing the five-time All-Pro wideout, pointing to the due diligence he and general manager Howie Roseman do on all available players, but he poured cold water on the notion that Hopkins would be a target.
“I’m really pleased with the group that we have,” Sirianni said. “Howie and myself are always looking for opportunities to make the team better, but I really love the room that we have.”
Released by the Arizona Cardinals last month, Hopkins will reportedly visit the Tennessee Titans this weekend and has interest from several other teams. The 31-year-old had 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games last season. He was suspended the first six games of the year for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing-drug policy and missed the final two games with a knee injury.
The rebuilding Cardinals released him two weeks ago and Hopkins has expressed a desire to sign with a contending team. He also has shown admiration for Jalen Hurts before, but the Eagles already have three high-volume pass catchers in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Sirianni said. “But I really like our room, and I’m really pleased with that room.”
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Watkins the star of the spring
Part of Sirianni’s confidence in the receiving corps apparently stems from the offseason Quez Watkins has put together.
The coach said Watkins has stood out during the Eagles’ offseason program, suggesting he’s poised to rebound from a turbulent 2022 season that led to critical fans.
“I love his attitude,” Sirianni said. “I kind of sense from him — he’s never said this, but ‘Oh, some people think I stink? [Just] wait. Wait.’ That’s how he’s attacked every day. That’s how he’s attacked practices, and I think that he looks really good.”
Watkins had 33 catches for 354 yards last season, down from 43 catches for 647 yards the year before. He had a costly drop in the third quarter of the Super Bowl and struggled at times with his diminished role in the offense during the regular season.
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The Eagles were bullish on Watkins as the No. 2 receiver last year before trading for Brown last offseason and Sirianni seems to think there’s reason to believe he’ll bounce back this year.
“We know he has a lot of talent, and I’m excited about that,” Sirianni said. “I really like the way he’s gone about his business because he can’t control anything but what he can control, and he can’t control what other people think about him. He can’t control anything like that.”