National Football League

Ryan Tannehill, DeAndre Hopkins building chemistry at Titans training camp

Published Jul. 26, 2023 4:47 p.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At the start of Day 1 of Titans training camp, during an early special teams period, DeAndre Hopkins worked on a side field with quarterback Ryan Tannehill and fellow top receiver Treylon Burks. With oversight from pass game coordinator/QB coach Charles London and receivers coach Rob Moore, they repped some routes and their timing.

Then in drills, Tannehill made a concerted effort to find Hopkins. He targeted the former All-Pro wideout on the first play of a 7-on-7 drill, a short out route. Then he found Hopkins on the first pass play of a team period, a catch-and-run to the left for about 15 yards. Of the handful of times Tannehill targeted Hopkins, there was just one incompletion.

It represented a strong Titans practice debut for Hopkins, whose signing with Tennessee was announced Monday. He looked smooth and efficient, even making a contested catch near the sidelines in an early 7-on-7 period.

"Been a fan of his game for a long time," Tannehill said. "To be able to come out and put some work in here on the first day, It was an exciting good start for us."

Titans general manager Ran Carthon described the process of signing Hopkins as a "long date." The same could be said about what it will take for the receiver to build chemistry with Tannehill.

Hopkins, who has posted big numbers with several quarterbacks in his 10 NFL seasons, has prioritized off-the-field relationships in building rapport with signal-callers. Hanging out with them. Over communicating. Doing the little things.

When Hopkins was on his visit with the Titans in June, exploring Nashville with Carthon, Tannehill and his wife, Lauren, met up with them. That's a start.

"It's just time," Tannehill said of building rapport with Hopkins, who had 64 receptions for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine games with the Cardinals last season. "Being able to go over the offense. Go over things. Go over football things off the field. You can't hit everything on the field. You're not going to get a rep of everything [against] every coverage, every look. So being able to talk through those things in the meeting room, after practice, before practice. And then just spending time together. Getting to know each other. Getting to develop that relationship."

Tannehill said that because he and Hopkins are veterans — both are entering their 11th season — it could speed up the acclimation process.

"He knows I've seen a lot of football," Tannehill said. "He's seen a lot of football. Now, it's just about getting on the same page and seeing it through the same set of eyes in this offense.

"Just building that trust on knowing when he does have the freedom to create on his own and then when I'm expecting [him] in this window at this time, right?" he added. "So it's a balance of being able to use his playmaking ability and spatial awareness and all those types of things, but also how does it fit in the picture as a whole. So we're going to be working on that throughout training camp, but no doubt excited to have his playmaking ability as part of our offense."

"Life isn't fair sometimes"

Carthon and Kevin Byard confirmed that the star safety's contract was recently reworked, in part to help the Titans absorb Hopkins' contract. Carthon called Byard a "consummate pro" in how he handled the situation, expressing gratitude in his willingness to help the team.

According to NFL Network, Byard's $14.1 million base salary for this season will be reduced to $11 million, but he'll be able to earn the money back through incentives. Byard had rebuffed an initial ask from the team to take a pay cut.

"One thing I do know, it definitely helps out the team a lot," Byard said. "And at the end of the day, we're trying to build a championship roster. I wouldn't have done what I've done if I didn't think that we had a chance to win some ballgames. That's what it was about for me."

Byard added that he tried to leave emotions out of his contract situation.

"You kind of understand it as you get older as a player the business side of football and building a championship roster," he said. "And that's what it's about here. It's about winning ballgames. At times, it's time to be selfish. But at the end of the day, it's about building a team. And I'm a team leader. I want to win first and foremost.

"Life isn't fair sometimes, you know what I mean?" he continued. "You take what's in front of you, you make the most out of it and look at everything as a positive and a great opportunity. That's how I've always viewed everything that I've been through in my life, from when I was a kid to where I am now. That's how I'm always going to view things."

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience