The Tennessee Titans did not enter the 2024 season relying on former first-round pick Treylon Burks to produce at wide receiver. That's precisely why previous general manager Ran Carthon signed Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency to pair with DeAndre Hopkins. But after Hopkins was limited to start the year after suffering a training camp injury, Burks had an opportunity to capture a role.
Like so many other times before, Burks failed to seize that chance. The No. 18 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft who was acquired in an ill-advised draft-day trade involving A.J Brown, Burks recorded just four receptions on eight targets for 34 yards in Tennessee's opening five games.
Burks would then suffer a knee injury in practice ahead of a Week 7 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. The ex Arkansas Razorback was placed on injured reserve the following day. Head coach Brian Callahan would eventually reveal that Burks underwent season-ending ACL surgery, concluding his third consecutive disappointing season in Nashville.
Burks is now scheduled to enter a contract year in 2025. New general manager Mike Borgonzi will undeniably decline the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Borgonzi is the third GM in charge of the Titans since Burks was drafted.
Despite the persistent disappointment, the Titans appear prepared to offer Burks one final opportunity to produce in 2025. Their depth chart at wide receiver currently appears significantly worse than it did last season. Ridley is the lone proven asset at the position. As currently constructed, Burks will receive an opportunity to compete for snaps with the likes of free-agent addition Van Jefferson and Bryce Oliver.
The Titans will add several wide receivers via the 2025 NFL Draft, but how many of them will leapfrog Burks on the depth chart immediately? That remains to be seen. And while speaking at the annual ownership meetings in Florida, Callahan confirmed that the Titans want to give Burks another chance.
.@Titans HC Brian Callahan wants to give @TreylonBurks a chance. His timetable for returning from torn ACL is closer to the regular season. pic.twitter.com/vf24KbfqSx
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 31, 2025
"Tre [Burks] has done some good things and we would like to see more from him," Callahan told Titans reporters. "We'll see how he feels when he gets back from the injury. He'll have an opportunity just like everybody else. It's a position [wide receiver] right now that we need guys on the roster to step up at."
The Titans should do everything within their power to ensure they're not relying on Burks to produce in 2025. For now, it appears they're having a hard time completely severing ties with a first-round talent a previous Titans regime had so much invested in.