The New England Patriots raised some eyebrows when legendary wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was in the building at the start of Training Camp to act as a coach. Now, Hopkins has stepped away from the time that he was previously spending with the team.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel addressed that on Thursday. He would praise Hopkins for the help he gave the team, but did note that he’s not with New England at this point.
“Well, it was a great experience,” Vrabel said. “Hop’s not here, but it was a great experience for all of us. I think that’s what we would try to do when you have some of these unique situations where a player, former player or whatever it may be wants to come in, help and learn, and they love football. So, I think it was good for everybody.”
Last season, the three-time All-Pro selection was playing for the Baltimore Ravens. However, he hasn’t found a home for the 2026 season. By showing up with the Patriots at Training Camp, it looked like he would be joining Vrabel and the staff, after he played for Vrabel when they were both with the Tennessee Titans. However, that now appears to not be the case, and Hopkins’ future remains up in the air.
DeAndre Hopkins was Working with New England Patriots Wide Receivers
GettyDeAndre Hopkins with the Arizona Cardinals
The New England Patriots are expected to have one of the best and deepest wide receiver rooms in the NFL in 2026. Even if DeAndre Hopkins wanted to join it as a player, there likely wouldn’t be any room for him at this point in his career.
That doesn’t mean that a player like Hopkins doesn’t have wisdom to share. So, that’s exactly what cameras caught him doing, as he ran drills with the receivers.
The drill that was making the rounds saw Patriots receivers working to make catches through contact. They had to do that with Hopkins blanketing them, no easy task even when Hopkins wasn’t wearing pads.
Now, Patriots wide receivers coach Todd Downing will have to keep working on that group without help from Hopkins. At least, that’s where the two sides stand for the time being.
Mike Vrabel on Patriots Wide Receiver Depth
GettyNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel
If there is a point of strength on the Patriots roster going into the season, it’s at wide receiver. In fact, it’s such a deep unit that there have been rumors that they’ll need to trade someone away.
Mike Vrabel recently spoke about that depth and the possibility of trade, explaining that the goal is to make the roster as competitive as possible.
“I love having depth, but I would say that we’re always going to try to look to improve, whether that’s by adding draft capital, obtaining a player or keeping the guys we have. We want to try to provide competition throughout the roster at each position. I think that’s something that’s critical,” Vrabel said.
“I think that’s what good teams do every year, year in and year out, that they’re making the roster as competitive as possible. So that those position battles, who’s the sixth lineman, who’s the fifth, sixth receiver, who’s the fourth tight end, all these things, you want to be as competitive as possible. That’s something that I have always — I was a part of it as a player, and I think that’s important to do here in training camp.”
Much of the talk about a trade has centered around Kayshon Boutte. However, by all accounts, he’s having an excellent Training Camp. So, it may be time for the Patriots to look at other options.
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