This is not the kind of news an NFL team wants to receive to start the preseason, but it is all part of the game, a devasting part that is. Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins suffered a knee injury in practice, and he will be sidelined for a while.

The veteran player is expected to miss four to six weeks because of that problem and while many might think that he does not need to practice as much as he used to, it is important to have the best players on a team with the rest of the group getting ready for the year.

The reason for the concern starter when Hopkins was spotted wearing a bandage over his left knee during a period of individual drills on a Titans practice on Wednesday, drills where he was supposed to participate in at a full. However, he started them before leaving the field with the club’s director of sports medicine, Todd Toriscelli.

This injury could translate into a slow start

There is still some uncertainty on to what kind of recovery will be in place for DeAndre Hopkins, as the Titans did no practice on Thursday and Friday’s session is not open to the public nor the media.

During his first season with the team, Hopkins led the team in receptions with 75 while gaining 1,057 yards and catching seven touchdowns over the last football year. Tennessee will turn to third-year wide receiver Treylon Burks to take first-team reps in the veteran’s place.

While the team is optimistic about Hopkins’ return, for maybe Week 2 or 3, others remain hopeful that he could be out the minimum and return after four weeks, something that would mean that he would be ready for the start of the regular season. The Titans open the season on the road on September 8, when they visit the Chicago Bears.