On Tuesday, the Tennessee Titans signed former Bengals WR Tyler Boyd on a 1 year deal worth up to $4.5 Million. Tennessee continues to add to their WR room, as Boyd is the second notable signing -- the first being Calvin Ridley -- made by GM Ran Carthon and co. this offseason. While the signing is great for the overall team and will give them a brand new slot receiver with ties to new HC Brian Callahan (the Bengals former OC), it leaves the future of 2022 first round pick Treylon Burks in doubt.
Now this is not to say that Burks will be traded, as he still provides strong depth as a WR4 and can fill in anywhere should any of their top 3 get injured. However, it is a tough pill for fans to swallow, as Burks was the main piece in the infamous AJ Brown deal made during the 2022 NFL Draft.
It's been known for long enough that the Eagles were going to come out on top, but not quite to this extent. Burks, barring any injuries, has been placed in a position where he cannot make any consistent meaningful impact on the game. He will have more of a chance to show his worth, however, as Brian Callahan loves to run 3 WR sets. If he is able to make the most of those limited chances, he could find himself back in a useful role next season. Both DeAndre Hopkins and now Tyler Boyd are on the last year of their contracts, so the door is open for someone like Burks or Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, although it is likely that one of Hopkins or Boyd are resigned.
The most important thing for Burks to know is simple: this is not the end of the road for him. Like I mentioned before, Brian Callahan loves 3 WR sets. If he was back in Mike Vrabel's/Tim Kelly's offense, he would barely see the field, but he is in a position where he can still show the coach's his value to the team despite not technically being a starter. Also, knowing the Titans and their history with injuries, Burks will get a chance to start at least a couple of games.
It is important to note that this not only has an effect on the future of Burks, but arguably more on the backend, depth piece guys. Kyle Philips, who was hardly safe before the signing, should now be worried. After a strong first game of his career where he started in the slot and was the team's leading receiver, he went down with an injury, and never saw the same amount of playing time, even being a healthy scratch multiple times throughout the end of last season. Kearis Jackson, who had an impressive preseason as a UDFA and started at punt returner before getting injured, now finds himself scarily closed to the cut line. Mason Kinsey, who was on the practice squad for the majority of last year, is now in need of a good offseason to keep his spot. And finally, this year's 6th round pick Jha'Quan Jackson, RB Tyjae Spears's roommate at Tulane, now sees that nothing is given in the NFL, and could be cut (although it's more likely he is sent to the practice squad) before his first regular season even begins. Each of the players I just named have more on the line than Treylon Burks, and this signing might even mean more about them than it does about Burks, as USA Today's Titans journalist Matthew Curry pointed out.
So, at the end of the day, Burks is still on the roster, and as we have proved, that is all he can hope for at this point. Unless he requests a trade, he's not going anywhere.
Eli Knight
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