Titans injury update forces coaching staff to make the decision fans have been wanting

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills with a knee injury.  Burks suffered the injury in practice on Wednesday and was added to the Injury Report as a limited participant. The third-year wide receiver did not practice on Thursday or Friday and was […]

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Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks (16) runs against the Chicago Bears during the third quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills with a knee injury. 

Burks suffered the injury in practice on Wednesday and was added to the Injury Report as a limited participant. The third-year wide receiver did not practice on Thursday or Friday and was safely ruled out this weekend by head coach Brian Callahan.

"We're working through it," said Callahan when asked by Titans media about the injury. "It will be some time, no matter what. How long, we'll see. We're not totally sure yet."

The sense seems to be that there is a decent chance Burks' injury will require a stint on Injured Reserve. Therefore forcing the Titans coaching staff to make the smart decision fans have been asking for.

To put things simply, Burks has been seeing way too many snaps on offense. Through five games, he has played more snaps on offense (147) than future Hall of Fame receiver DeAndre Hopkins (133). He has also played more than double the snaps of Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (65), who has proven to be a more reliable option as the team's fourth receiver.

Even with 147 offensive snaps played, Burks has only been targeted eight times by quarterbacks Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. Two tight ends (Okonkwo, Whyle) and two running backs (Spears, Pollard) have been thrown to more times. Burks has largely been a non-factor on offense, and yet he has received a large dose of opportunity this season.

Titans fans have been asking to see someone else get Burks' snaps…maybe that's NWI, maybe that's rookie Jha'Quan Jackson, or maybe that's arguably your best player in DeAndre Hopkins who is inexplicably not on the field on some 1st-and-10s in the first half of football games.

It's unfortunate to see Burks go down. This is another road block for his development on this NFL journey. But if it forces the Titans' coaching staff to change up some of the personnel, it could be a blessing in disguise for the team.