Andre Johnson is on his way out of Houston. The Texans have given him permission to work out a trade. If they can’t find a partner, they’ll release their all-time leading receiver (and that’s probably how it will play out).
One line of thought is that the subtraction of Johnson will lead to a larger role for DeAndre Hopkins. They’ll have to start using him more. That’s the theory.
But in looking at the 2014 numbers, that really doesn’t look likely. Hopkins already was heavily used last year – enough that it’s not really possible for them to use him much more than they already are.
Hopkins last year accounted for 35 percent of Houston’s receiving production. Believe it or not, that was No. 1 in the entire league (coming in just ahead of Jordy Nelson, Antonio Brown and Demaryius Thomas).
Hopkins should be a reliable, steady producer in 2015, but I don’t envision a big statistical leap.
| Receivers accounting for 25% of team's yards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Ind | Team | Pct |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 1,210 | 3,460 | 35% |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 1,519 | 4,447 | 34% |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 1,698 | 4,997 | 34% |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 1,619 | 4,779 | 34% |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 1,593 | 4,758 | 33% |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 1,320 | 4,008 | 33% |
| Anquan Boldin, S.F. | 1,062 | 3,407 | 31% |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 1,331 | 4,284 | 31% |
| Eric Decker, NYJ | 962 | 3,206 | 30% |
| Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | 1,404 | 4,779 | 29% |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 1,041 | 3,551 | 29% |
| Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | 1,305 | 4,470 | 29% |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 1,051 | 3,623 | 29% |
| Randall Cobb, G.B. | 1,287 | 4,447 | 29% |
| Jeremy Maclin, Phil. | 1,318 | 4,581 | 29% |
| Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | 1,133 | 4,035 | 28% |
| Vincent Jackson, T.B. | 1,002 | 3,623 | 28% |
| Andre Johnson, Hou. | 936 | 3,460 | 27% |
| Steve Smith, Balt. | 1,065 | 3,986 | 27% |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 1,345 | 5,062 | 27% |
| Kelvin Benjamin, Car. | 1,008 | 3,828 | 26% |
| DeSean Jackson, Wash. | 1,169 | 4,461 | 26% |
| Sammy Watkins, Buff. | 982 | 3,856 | 25% |
| Calvin Johnson, Det. | 1,077 | 4,284 | 25% |
—Ian Allan