Why one ESPN analyst is wrong in shading the Titans' receivers
Add ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky to the long list of people already doubting the Titans’ first-round pick Treylon Burks. In his latest rant on NFL Live, Orlovsky goes into detail on how Tennessee’s wide receivers are going to be difficult to trust in 2022. “It’s got to be massively concerning for Tennessee,” said Orlovsky. “We’re talking […]
Add ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky to the long list of people already doubting the Titans’ first-round pick Treylon Burks. In his latest rant on NFL Live, Orlovsky goes into detail on how Tennessee’s wide receivers are going to be difficult to trust in 2022.
“It’s got to be massively concerning for Tennessee,” said Orlovsky. “We’re talking about the team that was the No. 1 seed in the AFC last year. Their quarterback plays poorly in their playoff game and they get beat.”
Orlovsky notes Burks’ struggles with his health as well as concerning issues regarding his conditioning level as reasons to worry. He also mentions that Robert Woods is coming off of an ACL tear of his own.
“At some point those two perimeter pieces are going to matter. My question for their offense is: Who’s the winner? Treylon Burks, when he came out of Arkansas, he was not known for being a good route runner.”
What Orlovsky says next is where Titans fans will disagree.
“And you hear Robert isn’t a great route runner. Robert’s a guy that you just find a way to get him the football and he goes and makes plays. So, who’s the guy in this offense when they’re running the football, and they get all of this one-on-one coverage, and Derrick Henry is running for a buck thirty a game? Dude, you’ve got to go win on a 15-yard comeback. Who’s the guy that’s gonna go do that for them right now?”
To question where Burks’ conditioning is at this point of the offseason is more than fair. The Titans’ first-round pick has been spotted leaving practice on multiple occasions early due to his level of fitness coupled with asthma.
I don’t have a problem with Orlovsky wondering aloud if Burks can be the ‘winner’ in the Titans’ offense. Titans fans are pondering the same thing, and will continue in doing so until Burks proves capable of carrying a significant load in the passing game.
Lumping Woods into all of this is a bit overkill. Are there questions on whether or not Woods will be the same player after an ACL injury? Of course, as is the case with any player who suffers a serious knee injury. But to say that Woods “isn’t a great route runner” is preposterous.
It should come as no surprise to anybody who pays attention to Orlovsky and NFL Live that he is already reaching in mid-June. Orlvosky mentions that he was teammates with Woods while the two were in St. Louis in 2017, but even that is a stretch. Orlovsky was signed in July and released in September a week before the regular season kicked off, leading to his eventual retirement in October.
Orlovsky is a much better analyst than he ever was a football player, so I’ll give him a pass for being swept up in the moment. However, his concerns with Burks are valid. There is still plenty of time before the team reports to training camp on July 26th, but Burks will need to show significant progress from that point forward in order for the Titans’ offense to hit the ground running in Week 1.
Featured image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
