ARZ trades for Deandre Hopkins, SF trades Buckner to Colts

John McClain@McClain_on_NFL
DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth round pick go to Cards for David Johnson and a second round pick this year and a fourth round pick next year.

Texans didn’t want to re-do Hopkins contract with three years left.

Mike Meltser@MikeMeltser
Violating my own media rule here: the relationship between Bill O’Brien and DeAndre Hopkins was not good, and I’ve heard that from multiple places.

My own take: Bill O’Brien hasn’t accomplished enough in his life in football to have a bad relationship with a tremendous player

Mike Tannenbaum@RealTannenbaum
Trading for Hopkins allows the @Cardinals to surround @K1 with a trio of receivers that includes Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk

The trade puts AZ in position to take an elite tackle at 8. After allowing 50+ sacks the last 3 seasons protecting Murray should be their top priority

Geoff Schwartz@geoffschwartz
Best top of an OT class in years. Perfect time to need one.

ESPN Stats & Info@ESPNStatsInfo
Not many players mean more to their team’s passing offense than DeAndre Hopkins – he accounted for 29.3% of his team’s catches in 2019, 3rd-highest by any player in the league (behind only Michael Thomas and Christian McCaffrey).

Next Gen Stats@NextGenStats
New Colts DL DeForest Buckner has been one of the most consistent interior DL in the NFL since 2017.

Buckner is 1 of 4 interior DL with at least 30+ QB pressures and 30+ defensive stops in each of the last 3 seasons. The others: Aaron Donald, Cameron Heyward & Geno Atkins

Bucky Brooks@BuckyBrooks
A wise defensive coach told me:
pass rush > coverage

Disruption at the POA, particularly up the gut, affects the QB more than tight coverage down the field. Colts adding a monster inside to deal with the top QBs in the AFC

Colts get it—you cannot beat Mahomes without inside pressure–its never about coverage, its always about getting into the “paint” this move is all about Mahomes.