DeAndre Hopkins injury: Texans WR suffers concussion

The injury that forced DeAndre Hopkins to leave Saturday night’s Houston Texans preseason game was, in fact, a concussion, meaning the rookie’s progress will likely be slowed a tad as the team heads into the regular season.

Gary Kubiak characterized Hopkins as “fine,” but noted that his new offensive weapon would have to undergo the league-mandated concussion protocol featuring a variety of tests before he is allowed to suit up again.

Hopkins, the first wide receiver off the board in the 2013 NFL Draft, has the opportunity to make Houston’s passing game truly dynamic starting opposite Andre Johnson. In his first preseason game, he had a 34-yard touchdown reception from T.J. Yates, and he already had two catches for 22 yards when he was pulled from Saturday’s game. But concussions have to be taken seriously. He’ll have three weeks to get ready for actual important games, but for a rookie like Hopkins, preseason action is important as he tries to get adjusted to Houston’s playbook.

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