DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for six games to begin the 2022 NFL season for violating the NFL’s policies on performance enhancing drugs. Hopkins will be allowed to practice with the team during pre-season and play during pre-season games, and the suspension will begin at the beginning of next year’s regular season.
Hopkins had an injury-filled season last year, missing seven regular season games after an ankle injury and an MCL injury. Hopkins received surgery in December to repair the damage to his MCL, and he stated in February that his rehabilitation was progressing ahead of schedule. Before his injuries, he was one of the most dominant wide receivers in the NFL for years prior and was continuing to keep up with the statistics he’d had in previous seasons.
The Cardinals are now without Hopkins for the first six games of the season, and Christian Kirk is in Jacksonville after signing with them during free agency. Over the weekend, the Cardinals traded their first-round pick to Baltimore in exchange for wide receiver Marquise Brown. Brown will now most likely take on the brunt of WR work to start the season unless any other moves are made between now and then.
