Former Tennessee Titans great believes Treylon Burks can breakout in 2024 after addition of Calvin Ridley
Treylon Burks has been a spectacular failure since the Titans selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It was always going to be difficult for Burks to live up to the lofty expectations and pressure put on him. Truly replacing the best Titans wide receiver in team history, A.J. Brown, […]
Treylon Burks has been a spectacular failure since the Titans selected him with the 18th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
It was always going to be difficult for Burks to live up to the lofty expectations and pressure put on him. Truly replacing the best Titans wide receiver in team history, A.J. Brown, was just always going to be an impossible task. But former Titans great and fellow wide receiver Nate Washington believes Burks can finally break through in 2024.
For those who may have forgotten, Washington led the Titans in receiving yards in both 2011 and 2012, amassing more than 4500 yards and 28 receiving touchdowns in his his six-year Titans tenure.
In an interview on 104.5 The Zone with A to Z Sports' own Buck Reising, Nate Washington made it clear that he was incredibly confident in the Titans' wide receiver room after the addition of Calvin Ridley. Not just in regards to how that could impact Treylon Burks, but how it could make both DeAndre Hopkins and Ridley better too.
Washington was quoted as saying, "I'm expecting [DeAndre Hopkins] to be even better this year," as well as, "I think it will also obviously open a lot of things on the other side for Calvin Ridley." But the point he wanted to hammer home near the end was all about Treylon Burks.
Titans fans are all too familiar with Treylon Burks' shortcomings in the first two years of his young career.
For starters, Burks has missed six games in each of his first two seasons. Availability is one of most important skills to have and he simply has not been available for large chunks of his rookie and sophomore seasons. Second, he's been pretty terrible when he's been on the field. Burks had four drops last season on just 29 targets and firmly operated as the Titan's fourth wide receiver. Not what you want to see from a former first round pick.
So, why is Washington so confident that "this is the year for Treylon Burks"? And does it actually make sense? Could we finally see him breakout and play like the first round pick he was supposed to be?
Washington started off talking through the importance of the addition of Calvin Ridley, taking the pressure off of DeAndre Hopkins to be team's lead receiver as he enters the twilight of his career. He put it best by simply saying, "Father Time is undefeated." But then on Treylon Burks:
"This is the year for Treylon Burks. I'm hoping that he benefits the most out of [all the receivers]. I'm hoping that he plays relaxed [now that Ridley and Hopkins can take the defensive attention off him]. I'm hoping that he finds a way to stay on the field. He has to be healthy. If he's not healthy nothing else matters. But I truly feel like this is his breakout season. I'm hoping for at least 600 to 800 yards from [Burks]."
Washington went on to say that he wanted Burks "show us that football matters" to him and that the "microscope is on [Burks]" more than the other two wide receivers because of the "trade value in which [the Titans] gave up" to acquire him. But Washington firmly believes this is Burks' best opportunity to finally show us once and for all he is the real deal.
"This is his best situation, [learning] under two veterans that have been through tremendous careers, on and off the field…I think this will be a huge learning situation for Treylon, and I'm hoping he benefits at the end of it."
Washington is clearly on to something. Burks no longer has to feel the pressure to be "the guy" this year and has two amazing receivers to learn from who can garner all the attention from the defense. But the most underrated aspect of this move might be a schematic role change for Burks in terms of where he fits on offense.
When Burks was coming out college as a prospect it's important to note that he had been playing nearly 80% of his snaps as a "big slot" receiver for Arkansas. That's where he was the biggest mismatch problem. That's where he found his most efficient and consistent success. If the Titans move him inside he could flourish against smaller slot corners or slower safeties and linebackers.
New Titans head coach Brian Callahan loves to utilize his "big slot" third wide receiver as a mismatch problem on the inside. Since 2019, Callahan's offenses have targeted their big slot wide receiver (Tyler Boyd) over 500 times, leading to an average of 862 receiving yards per year from that specific position.
If Treylon Burks finds success as the "big slot" option for the Titans as Hopkins and Ridley trade splash plays on the outside, Tennessee may just form the best passing attack in franchise history.
