Burks' injury has silver lining both for him, future NFL team

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Looking back on it, the story reads as more of an episode of "Dateline" rather than the beautiful love story it was originally intended to be.

"It seemed like they had the perfect marriage..."

Everyone knows that the tale following those words always ends up in tragedy for one of the spouses, and that's exactly where things have unfolded in the story between former Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks and the NFL's Tennessee Titans franchise.

It should have been the perfect fit. A big, dominant SEC wide receiver who was a freak of nature in every sense of the word staying inside the conference footprint and within driving distance of Burks' original home in Southeast Arkansas for family and friends. The weather's similar to Fayetteville and there was even a river conveniently right outside the team stadium to blow off steam fishing when needed.

The Titans also had a coach in Mike Vrabel whose demeanor and coaching style appeared to be the perfect pairing for Burks who needed a balance of tough love and fatherly heart to really respond properly.

The ironic part of the whole story is Burks, who spent his whole life wandering through tall grass around ponds and jumping over old logs around rivers and borrow pits as well as sprinting through the woods chasing hogs with a knife, had to go to Tennessee to get snake bit.

From the moment Burks arrived there were troubles. On his first day it was discovered he not only was out of shape, but struggled with asthma likely triggered by being exposed to a different set of pollen in the air.

Burks pulled it together by the end of summer camp, rewarding Vrabel's patience. He managed to stay healthy and get through his first four games while showing flashes of being a serviceable rookie.

Three catches here. Four catches there. A run for eight yards. But then a turf toe led to the first of what would be many injury absences as he missed October and the first week of November.

When Burks returned, it looked as if all would be well. He torched Green Bay for seven catches and 111 yards, making Vrabel's Titans 4-2 with Burks on the field.

However, as would become quite the pattern, Burks' season was abruptly interrupted, ironically, on the first touchdown catch of his NFL career. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill zipped a ball over the middle that his rookie receiver came down with in the end zone.

However, he got hit so hard that for a moment, many Arkansas and Tennessee fans thought he might have been killed as he lay perfectly motionless clutching the football to his side for what felt like an eternity.

From then on, a steady stream of injuries kept Burks from reaching his potential, although each one was to a new area. He was hit with an LCL strain, a patella sprain and lastly, an ACL tear that ended a must-produce season last year.

Mixed in was another concussion generated by Burks choosing to get his toe in bounds rather than allow himself to brace his fall directly onto the back of his head. The latest injury is a broken collar bone.

However, this time it might be a blessing in disguise. Not only does Burks get a sizable payout from the Titans for being cut for medical reasons, but he gets to better rest and rehab the ACL injury.

All reports indicated Burks was rushing himself and doctors pushed like crazy to get him back on the field. He still gets to work out and remain in shape for the next six to seven weeks, allowing for proper final healing of the ACL, while he and his agent keep an eye on the receiver rooms across the country.

There will be camp injuries and there will be teams that go into the season with weak groups of receivers. Either that, or there will be a specific skill missing from a group of receivers through poor roster management that needs to be addressed.

If Jonathan Mingo were to go down with an injury for the Dallas Cowboys early in the season, Burks would serve as the perfect replacement. Odds are high Burks ends up being at the top of several teams' call list midway through September, so there's a good chance he and his agent get to evaluate for best fit before making a decision.

Even if Burks is able to utilize his first round skills for eight games in the season before going down to injury, the contract he is going to demand will be low risk, high reward. In this case, that amount of time might be all a team needs to secure a playoff spot and get a key receiver back.

If he pans out and stays healthy, then teams get to cut what will likely be a more expensive receiver off the end of the roster to keep a first round draft pick who is finally healthy and in a good mental place after a much needed move.

One thing general managers know about Burks is he was in great shape at the time of the injury and can still work out with his lower body. They also know he was injured making a great diving play where he came away with the catch, so the skill and focus is there also.

As for Burks, things were pretty much done in Tennessee regardless of how he performed this season. He already had the cloud of getting multiple people fired for his string of injuries hanging over him and even the most hopeful moments felt heavy in Nashville.

It will be a huge lift for him to breathe different air, feel a new energy and get a fresh start. Where that will be is now up to Burks.

If he goes on to have success, Titans fans shouldn't feel grumpy. It wasn't going to work there no matter what after all that had transpired.

However, for Razorbacks fans, it's a new chance to see if the Warren native can find that spark that once left Alabama in awe knowing there was nothing the Tide could do to stop him. If so, Sundays will be fun again for followers of Burks.

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