Like the Tennessee Titans need any more headaches. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Titans’ wide receiver Treylon Burks suffered a collarbone injury at training camp practice Saturday.
“#Titans WR Treylon Burks suffered a fractured collarbone here at their stadium practice, per me and @TomPelissero.” Rapoport posted on X. “Burks will undergo further tests, but he’s expected to miss the start of the season at least. A frustrating outcome for the young pass catcher.”
This isn’t good news for a Titans team that is already woefully thin at wide receiver. Calvin Ridley is by far their best player and they did add 32-year old Tyler Lockett, who brings a solid veteran presence. But, other than that there isn’t much behind them.
Burks has been a huge disappointment so far in his career, but the team still has to hold out hope since he was a first-round draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Titans fans will remember they traded superstar wideout A.J. Brown to the Philadephia Eagles on draft night for essentially the 18th-overall pick.
The Titans used that pick on Burks. So, you can see the tradeoff there. It hurts more because the Titans just didn’t want to Brown.
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown said. “I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer.”
Burks hasn’t lived up to the draft-day hype
While it’s not fair to compare Burks – or anyone – to Brown, it’s obviously going to happen because of how the deal went down. Since the trade, Brown has been to more Super Bowls (2) than Burks has career touchdown catches (1). That’s really not a fair statistic, but it’s kind of hilarious so I included it.
Burks has 53 catches for 699 yards and one touchdown, which would be fine if that was a half season. It’s not; those are his three years of total numbers.
Last season alone was almost a total wash. Burks started two games and played in five. He caught four balls for 34 yards. That’s not just a disappointment for a first-round pick, that would be an issue with an undrafted free agent.
The main problem (other than, you know, consistent lack of production) has been his health. He missed 12 games over his first two seasons, and then he missed the final 12 games of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL. So, that’s where we are.
What’s next for the wide receivers?
As previously mentioned, the Titans aren’t exactly flush with cash at the wideout position. Not many were counting on Burks to begin with, but now they are really behind the eight-ball.
After Ridley and Lockett, the Titans will now turn to Van Jefferson and fourth-round picks Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike in the Titans’ receiving corps. Maybe the injury helps undrafted rookie Xavier Restrepo’s chances win a roster spot?
Right, most people don’t know who these guys are. That’s kind of a problem especially with a young quarterback in Cam Ward (who also doesn’t have a solid backup anymore).
The Titans declined Burks’ fifth-year contract option so he will be a free agent following the 2025 season. It’s not looking good for Burks staying in Tennessee and he may end up joining a bowling league with 2023 second-round pick Will Levis in 2026.
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