The Tennessee Titans have decided to cut bait on a former first-round pick that frankly never worked out. According to the team via Pro Football Talk, the Titans have released wide receiver Treylon Burks.
“The Titans announced that they have waived Burks on Monday,” writes Josh Alper. “Burks was waived with an injury designation as the result of a fractured collarbone he suffered in practice this weekend. He will revert to injured reserve if he clears waivers and will likely be released with an injury settlement at some point.”
Burks suffered the injury on Saturday and it really was the final straw for a team that needs to clean up a lot of old mistakes and move forward as a franchise with new blood. In three seasons, Burks caught just 53 passes for 699 yards and one touchdown.
In case you are into such things, Burks scored his one career touchdown his rookie year against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, you’ll remember, traded the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for wide receiver A.J Brown. That created a cavernous hole at wideout that the Titans then filled with Burks.
General manager Jon Robinson – who made the trade – was fired that season. While that trade may not have been the sole reason for his dismissal, it certainly didn’t help.
Interesting foot notes on the A.J. Brown trade
The Eagles sent the 18th- and 101st-overall picks to the Titans in 2022. About 15 minutes later, the Titans brilliantly used that first rounder on a player who would fill the roster hole they just created. He never got close to doing that.
The Eagles, meanwhile, immediately signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million deal with $57 million of that guaranteed.
“This wasn’t my fault,” Brown said after the trade. “I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer.”
Low-balling Brown seems consistent with the G.M.’s seriously flawed thinking that Burks could come in and replace him. Heck, Burks was never even a reasonable facsimile of Brown, who now has more Super Bowl appearances (2) than Burks has career touchdown catches (1). A less interesting note, Burks one touchdown catch was for 25 yards and Brown’s Eagles’ contract was for $25 million a year. So, there’s that.
What’s left for the Titans at wide receiver?
Burks was already recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last season. The fractured collarbone and his subsequent release were surely not how Burks wanted to end his tenure in Nashville.
After Burks, the Titans don’t have a lot at the wide receiver position. Calvin Ridley returns and is clearly the team’s top threat. They signed 32-year old former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett in the offseason, as well as Van Jefferson. After those three, it’s pretty much crickets.
The rest of the receiver room in any order is: Chimere Dike, James Proche II, Ramel Keyton, Elic Ayomanor, Jha’Quan Jackson, Xavier Restrepo, Mason Kinsey, Bryce Oliver and T.J. Sheffield.
The Final Shoe Drops on Tennessee Titans’ A.J. Brown Trade