Ravens Reportedly Made a Run at DeAndre Hopkins Before Cardinals Trade
By Brady Williams
The Houston Texans shocked the NFL when they gave up star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for David Johnson and a 2021 fourth-round draft pick. The outrageous deal apparently could have been even more shocking, as recent reports claim that the AFC-contending Baltimore Ravens tried to snag the 27-year-old superstar.
According to NFL reporter Mike Silver, Baltimore wanted to round out their offense by adding a stud target for quarterback Lamar Jackson. Since they failed to work out a deal with the Texans, they may look to fill that hole in the draft on Thursday night.
The Ravens, according to multiple sources, were one of the teams that made a run at DeAndre Hopkins before the Texans traded him to Arizona. If they draft a receiver tonight, it won't be a huge surprise.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) April 23, 2020
The Ravens have one of the most explosive offenses in the National Football League. With the NFL MVP at quarterback and a running back in Mark Ingram that eclipsed 1,000 yards in 2019, they were nearly unstoppable. However, for as dominant as they were, no receiver was particularly spectacular. Mark Andrews at tight end had the most receiving yards with 852, but Jackson still doesn't have a great, veteran wideout on his ledger, stocked mostly with burners and rookies. Adding Hopkins could have made them terrifying.
Lamar Jackson's receivers dropped 24 passes last season, costing him at least four touchdowns and turning more than five percent of his pass attempts into incompletions. pic.twitter.com/UrX4aW9x4c
— QB Data Mine (@QBDataMine) March 24, 2020
Hopkins is easily one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he's likely going to be a force in Arizona, alongside Larry Fitzgerald, with Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray throwing to him. However, knowing the Ravens could have added another element to their electric offense is interesting to think about. It also begs the question: How low was Baltimore's offer if they lost the trade to the abysmal deal Arizona secured?