DeAndre Hopkins facing big opportunity thanks to Browns' latest loss
The Cleveland Browns ruled out cornerback Greg Newsome II on Friday, which means Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins could be in line for a big day when these two teams meet on Sunday. That's because Newsome isn't just one of the starters in an impressive Browns secondary – he is the team's nickelback when […]
The Cleveland Browns ruled out cornerback Greg Newsome II on Friday, which means Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins could be in line for a big day when these two teams meet on Sunday.
That's because Newsome isn't just one of the starters in an impressive Browns secondary – he is the team's nickelback when Jim Schwartz decides to deploy his subpackages. When the team is in base defense, Newsome is on the perimeter. Overall, he's a very good player who does a lot of things for the Browns defense.
With Greg Newsome II out for Cleveland, they lose their most versatile cornerback. Newsome is a very good cornerback on the boundary and he slides inside on nickel and dime packages. Cleveland will call on second-year cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. to handle the full-time boundary role opposite of Denzel Ward. Rookie Cam Mitchell out of Northwestern could take over the slot snaps, per Kevin Stefanski on Friday. Interestingly enough, Mitchell is one of Newsome’s best friends, and they both hail from Northwestern. – Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Cleveland
Per Pro Football Focus, Newsome owns the second-best coverage grade in the Browns secondary. He's particularly adept when he slides inside to play nickel, too. Per PFF, opposing QBs average a 76.3 rating when targeting Newsome II at nickel, which is the fourth-lowest QB rating among cornerbacks with at least 30 coverage snaps at the position. He also allows a reception every 14.7 snaps, which is the fifth-best rate among the 24 qualifying corners.
As we all know, defenses are in subpackages the majority of the time, which amplifies Newsome's absence. And it could be amplified even more because this is a prime opportunity to play Hopkins inside in order to take advantage of the situation.
The Titans are certainly using Hopkins on the inside this year. His seven concept targets are tied for seventh-most out of all receivers and 41.7% of his total targets have come out of the slot.
So far, it's worked to the tune of six receptions for 53-yards on seven targets. Those are obviously modest numbers, however, Alontae Taylor and Asante Samuel Jr. -the nickels from Week 1 and 2- aren't the easiest assignments for a wide receiver.
Regardless, Hopkins can do damage on the inside. 2020 saw Hopkins average 2.26 yards per route run out of the slot, which ranked 14th out of 87 qualifying receivers. That's pretty impressive considering he had just 15 slot targets sent his way that season. His numbers dipped over the next two seasons because of injury and suspension, but right now, he's averaging 2.79 yards per route run, which is fourth-best among wideouts with at least seven slot targets. Overall, it's the 16th-best mark out of the 91 wideouts with at least one concept target.
If the Browns play a rookie like Mitchell, then it's a no-brainer: Put D-Hop in the slot and let him teach the youngster the ways of NFL life.
Coaching in the NFL is extremely hard 98% of the time, but every now and then, guys get presented with an opportunity that's easy to figure out.
This is one of those situations and the Titans have to take advantage of it on Sunday.
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Featured image via Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
