Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins involved in practice fight

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was involved in a practice fight with the San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in Hopkins being ejected from practice.

DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans showed a lot of emotion on Wednesday afternoon as he was involved in an practice fight with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jimmie Ward, leaving both players on the ground as teammates broke up the altercation.

Hopkins and Ward lined up across from each other, and seconds later during the play both players got very physical, as Ward eventually knocked off the helmet of Hopkins. Following a few words, punches were thrown, and both Hopkins and Ward were left grappling on the ground.

The Texans wide receiver was ejected from practice, and according to Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group, Hopkins eventually shook the hand of Ward while leaving the field. Here is a view from Inman’s Twitter account:

Here is another view of the action, from Alex Radow of KPRC TV in Houston:

Physical altercations like this seem to be normal training camp occurrences, and when two teams are holding a joint practice in August — both teams face each other this Saturday in a preseason game as well — things will most likely get heated from time to time.

In terms for the Texans and Hopkins, the good thing from this ordeal is not just the emotion shown by the veteran wide receiver, but that fact Hopkins seemed to leave the fight uninjured as the regular season begins on Sept. 9 when the Texans travel to take on the AFC champion New England Patriots, and that is most important for Hopkins and the Texans.

Hopkins is primed to have yet another excellent season as he’s one of the top wide receivers in all of the NFL. Hopkins finished the 2017 season with 96 receptions for 1,378 yards and 13 touchdowns. In what was his fifth season with the Texans, Hopkins averaged 14.4 yards per reception and had two receptions of 40-plus yards in 2017.

Hopkins has played in 79 regular-season games throughout his first five NFL seasons, totaling 413 receptions for 5,865 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 74.2 yards per game receiving.

There is a lot to look forward to with Hopkins in 2018, especially if his starting quarterback Deshaun Watson can stay healthy for his second season as the Texans QB, as Houston looks to drastically improve on their 4-12 overall record from a season ago. As for Wednesday afternoon, since both players shook hands, it seems like the fight is all over with and it is time to move on for both Hopkins and Ward as the preseason continues.