Don't think so 

OK, so DeAndre Hopkins in on the open market. Predictably, it is sending shock waves throughout the National Football League landscape.

An All-Pro wide receiver entering the latter stages of his prime years is now a free agent and the media is all over it, speculating almost wildly where his next stop will be. And whattaya know, the Browns have made that list.

And why not? After all it was Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson who combined with Hopkins for three seasons in Houston (2017-19) to put up spectacular, almost otherworldly, statistics before the Texans shipped the wideout to Arizona.

Fans have jumped all over it. Sure, they think, Hopkins would look great in a Cleveland uniform. Reuniting with his good friend would enable him to rekindle their phenomenal success in Houston. Pair them with the great running game and anything is possible. Right?

Normal speculation with regard to the Browns, whose wide receivers room has been reshaped and immensely improved by General Manager Andrew Berry since the end of last season, was assumed because of the previous connection between the former Clemson stars.

Took mere hours after the Cardinals cut Hopkins loose the other day for the Browns, as well as a major majority of the other 30 NFL teams, to respond to the possibility of removing Hopkins from the ranks of the unemployed.

It was met with mixed reaction throughout the league. At least a couple early contenders with Super Bowl credentials did not have the salary cap space to become proactive. Most of the others, including the Browns, officially chose a non-comital approach.

Watson, on the other hand, was all over it. "Of course we would love to have him, but that's kind of out of my range of things," he replied at a charity golf tournament the other day, deferring to the club's front office. 

Therein lies the rub. 

How seriously is Berry going to investigate the possibility of such a move? The Browns Friday will have roughly $15 million of salary cap space, which probably won't be enough to satisfy Hopkins unless he's willing to take a one-time hometown discount to reunite with Watson.

Then again, the GM might want to listen to his head coach, who seems to have fallen in love with his wide receivers room. Asked about the possibility of adding Hopkins to that room, Kevin Stefanski was downright ebullient. 

"I really, really like our wide receiver room," he said, one "really" away from practically gushing. "I love the guys in there." And why wouldn't he with the likes of Amari Cooper, Elijah  Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, rookie Cedric Tillman, Marquise Goodwin and David Bell.

Why mess with that group? Unlike the the last couple of seasons, talent now abounds in that room. Good hands, terrific route runners, enough speed to keep opposing teams honest. Why spoil it?

Remember one thing about Hopkins: He needs to see the football. Often. In his career (145 games), he has been targeted an average of 9.4 passes a game with a catching percentage of 62.4. In his three campaigns with Watson, he was targeted 487 times -- that's 10.6 a game -- and grabbed 64.7%.

So if the Browns entice him to Cleveland, who is going to see his targets dwindle? More than a couple will. And not just a little, but significantly. Who? Cooper, Moore, Tillman, DPJ? Tight ends David Njoku and Jordan Akins? Nick Chubb? Taken away by a 31-year-old (next Tuesday) on the back side of his career.

Hopkins has also missed time the last couple of seasons because of injuries and league suspension. He is not the same player he was with the Texans, Fans of the Cardinals will attest to that. The life span of a receiver in the NFL, as a general rule, is not that long. He has booked 10 seasons.

Going after Hopkins would be foolish. Makes no sense. It would all but wipe out the offensive game-planning for the upcoming season. He would be much better off landing somewhere else in his quest to get back to the postseason.

Nothing more here than just another case of being very careful what you wish for.