A simple solution for Treylon Burks and the Tennessee Titans
NASHVILLE — Rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks will avoid zero scrutiny this offseason, given how he landed with the Tennessee Titans. In the absence of any further quarterback drama, attention has turned to this year's first-round pick. InhalerGate does not have the same ring to it. Burks has experienced some unknown difficulties in the early going […]
NASHVILLE — Rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks will avoid zero scrutiny this offseason, given how he landed with the Tennessee Titans. In the absence of any further quarterback drama, attention has turned to this year's first-round pick.
InhalerGate does not have the same ring to it.
Burks has experienced some unknown difficulties in the early going of his first on-field outings in Tennessee. His struggles on Day 1 of the Titans rookie minicamp were well documented, and the need for an inhaler after the first round of drills caught everyone's eye. Burks would leave the field for a spell, return and then leave again.
Day 2 went far more smoothly.
Whatever Burks is dealing with remains a mystery
OTAs began this week and, again, attention turned to Burks.
Only one day was open for Tennessee media to attend so the sample size is still very small. Veteran players like quarterback Ryan Tannehill tested the new connection with free-agent add Austin Hooper. Receiver Robert Woods made his debut on the field after tearing his ACL in mid-November. 2022 curiosities like Dylan Radunz, Caleb Farley and Rashad Weaver were all over the field.
Still, the thing most closely being tracked was Burks.
The Titans first-round pick warmed up with his teammates, went through open-field tackling drills, then left the field at least twice. There is no doubt a totally reasonable excuse for whatever Burks is dealing with. The problem is we have not heard from him in nearly a month.
Titans state secrets strike again
Coach Mike Vrabel protects his players in Tennessee anyway he can.
That includes an injury policy that has no exceptions, no matter how slight or severe. It is completely understandable why Vrabel chooses this route. There is plenty enough pressure on athletes to perform without adding timelines or the like to it. When asked about Burks on Tuesday, the Titans coach stayed true to form.
"They all kind of come along differently," Vrabel said when asked about the rookie's progress. "We're just trying to make sure that everything that he does, he's continuing to improve. We talked to him a little bit about ball security and route running. Just like Malik (Willis), Nick (Westbrook-Ikhine) and all these guys offensively, there's a lot of terminology. There's a lot of places that they line up and I think that he's working hard to try and improve."
But could something like allergies be the cause of Burks' early limitations?
"I'm not gonna talk about anybody's allergies to pollen right now," said Vrabel. "I think everyone's got allergies."
While Vrabel has no reason to disclose what might be slowing one of his new wide outs, Burks silence and lack of availability are the larger issue.
In the same way that Willis took to the podium during the veritable shit storm that the last month of quarterback conversation in Tennessee has entailed, Burks could easily silence any speculation on what ails him. The Titans football operations has say in which players are and are not made available to the media. Burks himself may have no interest in doing it.
The longer it draws out, the more the buzzards will circle it. Just ask Tannehill and Willis.
Featured Image: USA TODAY Sports.
