The Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver Tyler Boyd on Tuesday, giving the team a rather formidable pass-catching trio that also includes Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins.
But what does that mean for former first-round pick Treylon Burks?
During a recent appearance on The Ross Tucker Podcast, Joe Dolan of Fantasy Points said that the Titans’ acquisition of Boyd means that the team is probably ready to move on from Burks.
Dolan cites Burks’ injury issues and disappointing production overall as reasons why Tennessee may end up giving up on him. He also says that the “odds of Burks ever living up to his first-round status are next to nothing.” Still, he says a team may be interested in trading for him.
Burks, who played his collegiate football at the University of Arkansas, was selected by the Titans with the 18th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He had a very underwhelming rookie campaign, playing in 11 games and catching 33 passes for 444 yards and a touchdown. He was even less productive this past year, logging just 16 catches for 221 yards in another 11 contests.
The 24-year-old may now end up falling out of Tennessee’s rotation entirely. Not only is he clearly behind Ridley, Hopkins and Boyd on the depth chart, but even Nick Westbrook-Ikhine surpassed him in 2023.
Of course, as Dolan specifies, there may be some club out there willing to take a gamble on Burks, especially if the price is right.
It’s hard to imagine that the Titans would ask for much in return for Burks at this point. He has shown little to nothing on the NFL level, after all. However, he had a solid NCAA career at Arkansas, and at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he has the physical profile of a top-flight receiver, although he is not exactly fleet afoot.
Perhaps Tennessee could extract a late-round draft pick out of a receiver-needy team for Burks. Maybe the Baltimore Ravens would be interested? The Dallas Cowboys also need some depth behind CeeDee Lamb, and Burks would be an inexpensive pickup for them.
The Titans have been very busy this offseason, adding some key pieces offensively such as running back Tony Pollard and center Lloyd Cushenberry in addition to Boyd. They also made a couple of significant moves defensively, highlighted by swinging a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
We’ll see how Tyler Boyd fits into Tennessee’s offense in 2024 and if his presence spells the end for Burks.
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