DeAndre Hopkins' bold response about Ravens' "missing piece" caught Marlon Humphrey off guard

DeAndre Hopkins could be the key ingredient to the Baltimore Ravens becoming the top team in the NFL. Earlier this offseason, Hopkins caught his teammate, Marlon Humphrey, off guard when the cornerback asked his thoughts about his new team from the outside looking in.

“It seems like there's been a piece that's been missing," Hopkins said. "I could be that addition. I could not be that addition.”

Standing over six feet, Hopkins' height is one of the many things he’ll bring to the table to a Ravens team that’s won the AFC North on back-to-back occasions and been to the playoffs three consecutive seasons.

Humphrey referred to him as:

“Mr. Contested Catch.”

Hopkins has been named to the Pro Bowl five times, including four successive campaigns, leading the league in touchdown catches in tight window throws with 12. Since entering the NFL in 2015, Hopkins has made 84 closely contested receptions, the fifth-most among active players.

He is averaging 2.54 yards of separation since that statistic was first tracked in 2016. Last season, Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson targeted players who averaged 4.26 yards of separation, the highest in the league.

While the Ravens have been among the top AFC contenders alongside the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills over the past few years, Jackson has excelled at hitting open receivers rather than ones in tight coverage. Last season, he made just 52 passing attempts in tight windows, the lowest among NFL QBs.

Lamar Jackson wanted to play with DeAndre Hopkins for a while

At long last, Lamar Jackson will get his wish to throw the ball to DeAndre Hopkins. That’s something that the former first-rounder out of Louisville has wanted for a while, as in 2023, he suggested the Ravens add Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr.

The club signed Beckham for the 2023 campaign, his only one with the organization.

Although they haven’t played together, it appears as though Hopkins and Jackson are developing some strong early chemistry at training camp.

“He is different," Jackson said of Hopkins. “He caught the ball so smoothly and got up [easily]. I don't even think he put his other hand on the ground to get up; he just caught the ball and just started [running]. That's some super vet type of stuff. It's just dope to have him [here], and I am looking forward to throwing a lot of touchdowns to him this year.”

Hopkins ranks 16th all-time with 984 receptions and is 21st when it comes to receiving yards all-time with 12,965.