Hooper caught seven passes during Tennessee's joint practice with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill talked up the acquisition of Hooper prior to training camp, and the duo seems to have quickly developed a connection. Hooper could get off to a hot start to the season, as Treylon Burks (undisclosed) has had an inconsistent ramp-up to his rookie campaign while Robert Woods is hoping to be fully recovered from a torn ACL in time for Week 1. Even if both Burks and Woods are ready to go for the regular season, Hooper could realistically emerge as the third target for Tannehill in the passing offense.

Hooper has made a strong impression on quarterback Ryan Tannehill during offseason practices, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Titans have overhauled their pass catchers this offseason, moving on from A.J. Brown but also adding rookie Treylon Burks and Robert Woods. Hooper is a more under-the-radar addition, particularly after a couple uninspiring seasons in Cleveland. However, he has earned praise from Tannehill regarding his feel for running routes and ability to get open out of breaks. Though Hooper is entering his seventh season in the NFL, he still is only 27 years old and could be heavily involved in the Titans offense in 2022.

Hooper is slated to sign a one-year, $6 million deal with the Titans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hooper is coming off a 2021 season in which he logged 38 catches (on 61 targets) for 345 yards and three TDs in 16 games for the Browns. The 27-year-old put those numbers up in the context of working in a time-share that involved David Njoku and Harrison Bryant, to a lesser degree. With the Titans, he'll have Geoff Swaim to contend with for targets, but we nonetheless expect Hooper -- a 2016 third-rounder -- to see an uptick in looks this coming season, and with that, a corresponding increase in fantasy utility.

The Browns plan to release Hooper, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

There were rumors this would happen, especially after the team used a franchise tag on fellow TE David Njoku, though a report last week suggested the Browns also planned to keep Hooper. It sounds like they'll now move on from the veteran tight end, after two seasons of a four-year, $42 million contract. The 27-year-old tight end caught 84 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 regular-season games with Cleveland the past two seasons.

The Browns plan to keep Hooper for the 2022 season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

There was speculation that Cleveland would move on from Hooper, whose hefty contract has not been commensurate with the tight end's production over his first two seasons with the team. That notion grew after the Browns franchised fellow tight end David Njoku on Monday, but Fowler's report appears to end that speculation. Hooper is due $9.5 million and carries a $13.2 million cap hit in 2022, per Spotrac.com. The team would save only $2 million if they moved on, so it might be best to keep Hooper around in case Njoku doesn't live up to the $10.9 million franchise tag.

Hooper was not targeted in Sunday's 21-16 win over the Bengals.

EDGE Analysis

Hooper took a step back in his second year with Cleveland, but he remains a big target and blocker at tight end. He had fewer targets (61), catches (38), yards (345) and touchdowns (three) relative to 2020. The 27-year-old tight end carries a big contract entering 2022, but the money isn't guaranteed per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, although he would cost the Browns $11 million against the cap if they chose to move on. While the return on investment is not commensurate with his salary, Hooper is a frequent target and a good blocker for a team that earns its wins mostly by running the ball. If the Browns don't re-sign David Njoku -- there's reported interest on both sides -- then Hooper could reclaim all the targets and then some that he lost in 2021.

Hooper caught two of five targets for 28 yards in Monday's 26-14 loss to Pittsburgh.

EDGE Analysis

While it was position mates David Njoku's and Harrison Bryant's night to shine -- each scored a touchdown Monday -- Hooper remains heavily involved in the passing attack. He's been targeted at least five times in eight games this season, including five of the last six contests. His 61 targets are second on the team behind No.1 wideout Jarvis Landry.

Hooper caught three passes for 26 yards on five targets against Green Bay on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

When the Browns made Hooper one of the league's highest-paid tight ends as a free agent in 2020, it was assumed he'd be a focal point of the Cleveland offense, but through nearly two full seasons he has been both lightly used and highly inefficient, and he heads into the final two weeks of 2021 at risk of finishing with an average of less than 6.0 yards per target despite catching just 58.9 percent of his targets to this point. He has surpassed 42 yards in a game just once this year, so he might be touchdown-dependent for fantasy viability against the Steelers in Week 17.

The Browns activated Hooper (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Hooper was unable to gain clearance to play in Monday's loss to the Raiders, but he's now poised to return to action for this Saturday's game against the Packers. In his last contest Dec. 12 versus the Ravens, Hooper played every snap on offense and caught five of his six targets for 30 yards and a touchdown. His return will bolster the Browns' tight end corps, which also includes David Njoku and Harrison Bryant (ankle). He may not see a 100-percent snap share like he did Week 14, but Hooper could be in store for a solid dose of targets against Green Bay, especially if wideout Jarvis Landry (illness) isn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list in advance of the contest.

Hooper (illness) wasn't activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and won't be available for Monday's game against the Raiders, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Even with the NFL pushing back Cleveland's Week 15 game an extra two days in addition to relaxing the return-to-play protocols for vaccinated individuals who test positive for COVID-19, Hooper and several other key Browns players weren't able to clear the necessary protocols prior to Monday's 5 p.m. ET kickoff. With Hooper and wideout Jarvis Landry (illness) both set to miss Monday's contest, fill-in starting quarterback Nick Mullens will likely have to make do with Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz (concussion), Rashard Higgins and David Njoku as his top targets in the passing game.