Patriots Can Focus On ‘Soaring’ Wide Receiver After DeAndre Hopkins Joins Titans

The New England Patriots wanted to sign DeAndre Hopkins, but his new deal with the Tennessee Titans will actually force the team to focus on a soaring wide receiver. Who could that be?

Hopkins was a top priority for the Patriots and he really wanted to join the team. However, the Titans made a better offer and the wide receiver dropped a decision. Doug Kyed from AtoZ Sports was the first to report that Hopkins will play with the Titans. Ian Rapoport from NFL Network noted that Hopkins will probably ink a two-year deal worth about $32 million.

The #Titans are giving star WR DeAndre Hopkins a 2-year, $26M deal worth up to $32M with incentives, source said.

He gets a base of $12M in Year 1 with a chance to get to $15M. https://t.co/4Vsy2sF1zG

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 16, 2023

David Kenyon from Bleacher Report says that Tyquan Thornton will be a breakout candidate for the Patriots. He is entering his second season with the team and NFL teams have high expectations from him. According to Kenyon, Bill O’Brien’s hiring will send the talented wide receiver “soaring past DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne in target share.”

Patriots have high expectations from the soaring wide receiver

The Patriots would be happy to get a monster performance from Thornton. Losing Hopkins is a big blow for the team, but O’Brien and Belichick have a great player to rely on.

Thornton joined the Patriots as a strong wide receiver option for the team. However, he suffered a collarbone injury in the preseason and missed the first four games of the regular season. He had flashes of great performance throughout the season. Kenyon said that the wide receiver “flashed his upside with a two-touchdown outing in his second appearance as a rookie.”

Belichick likes versatile players and Thornton is definitely one of a kind.

The new development of events will put Thornton at the No.1 position at wide receiver. He measures at 6’3’’ and 182 pounds, meaning he can attack defenses just like Hopkins.

Rookie to rookie. @baileyzappe04 hits @Humble_Ty19 to extend the @Patriots lead!

📺: #NEvsCLE on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/pjHIv4VDX8 pic.twitter.com/hux8K8FUrB

— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2022

In his rookie campaign, Thornton played 118 snaps in the slot and O’Brien can work with this number.

Hell of a way to start! Mac Jones hits Tyquan Thornton for the touchdown! #Patriots pic.twitter.com/JrE8UUqjsp

— Casey Baker (@_CaseyBaker) January 1, 2023

New England has enough talent to work with in the 2023 season. Let’s see what happens in training camp. Maybe Belichick will switch a few players to make things work better for the team.