All Hogs

Dog will have to wait another week as Burks' NFL comeback continues on positive track

Turns out hard, uncertain road with Washington Commanders was right call for former Arkansas Razorback
Kent Smith|
Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks (13) catches a touchdown pass as Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) defends in the third quarter at Northwest Stadium.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks (13) catches a touchdown pass as Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) defends in the third quarter at Northwest Stadium. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksWashington Commanders

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The scene seemed too mundane to signal anything but retirement. After all, there was former NFL first round draft pick Treylon Burks walking his dog around a Northwest Arkansas neighborhood in late October before being flagged down by a Razorbacks media member.

It wasn't a case of the former Hogs' star receiver being spotted running up and down a mountain doing his own impersonation of the "Rocky 4" montage complete with eventual random ironic  lumberjack scenes or jogging through the woods with a boar carcass on his shoulder after a fight by hand.

No. It was just a man and his dog on a leisurely stroll through suburbia. Surely after so many injuries and the Tennessee Titans clearly looking for the cheapest way to cut ties, this once promising dream was over.

However, roughly a week later after being predictably cut, Burks was off visiting the two teams that still had legitimate interest in kicking the tires on a well worn bad luck first rounder whose career barely got a chance to start, much less got the tires stuck spinning.

The Denver Broncos offered a chance to join a playoff contender with potential postseason checks and a theoretically Razorback friendly owner in Rob Walton who may have offered a little more leash as a result. Then there were the Washington Commanders, a floundering team with no playoff aspirations that would require Burks to come up to speed faster with the perception of the receiver needing to get it together quickly or not be around for the following season.

Totally in character, Burks chose the tougher route. He would start on the scout team in Washington and begin proving himself from the bottom with less time to make it happen and no playoff buffer to extend said time.

There was no room to show up out of shape or battle another bout of sports induced asthma again. He had to hit the ground running and hope this time God's plan didn't involve yet another unrelated random injury like so many before in Tennessee that would probably being an abrupt end to his big comeback story.

If he was ever going to live out his dream, Burks would have to escape sports purgatory fully healthy and find a way to draw just enough spotlight to convince at least one more team to take a chance on him next spring if there wasn't room for him in Washington.

That's when it all started to unfold in a much different manner than it ever had in his life. Because of mass injuries at the receiver position, the Commanders desperately needed bodies.

Fortunately, in a move that showed faith the team thought he was healthy and had absorbed the playbook well enough in a short time, Burks got his chance.

In his first action in over a year, he teamed up with former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for a 14-yard catch in his only target. But that was it.

One target. One catch. One day on the main roster.

Burks was quickly shuffled back down to the practice squad where dreams often die. Still, he had to prove something.

He didn't spend all that time healing and training to just give up. For the first time since his earliest days of high school, Burks was truly healthy and in the best shape of his life.

So, he went back to the grind. Three days later, a press release went out that proved he was too talented to hold down forever.

"The Washington Commanders have signed wide receiver Treylon Burks and defensive tackle Sheldon Day to the active roster and added cornerback Tre Hawkins and safety Daryl Worley to the practice squad ... He was elevated to the gameday (sic) roster against the Seattle Seahawks and caught one pass for 14 yards."

And with that came a run of weeks that showed Washington was right to take a chance on Burks and he made the right call by risking the harder, less stable path where the odds of immediate opportunity were higher if his mind and body were up to the challenge in such short time.

Before long, Burks was stealing a page out of fellow Razorback receiver Issac TeSlaa's book by making the doubters reconsider with a potential touchdown catch of the year against his other option, Denver. Similar catches soon followed as the confidence and playing time soon rose. 

Now, with one game remaining, a rematch with Philadelphia, Commanders fans have seen enough. They love that Burks blocks, makes hard catches and runs with violence when the ball is in his hands. 

If he somehow can come down with a catch or two and escape unscathed, Burks' own yellow brick road journey will come to an end and he too will have self-fulfilled his wish of personal stability at the NFL level. His years of endless drama will have been halted and a life with the unusual step of a normal off-season will fan out before him.

However, Lincoln Financial Field provided the backdrop for one of the most terrifying moments of Burks career. Ironically, the second the rookie first round pick came down with what should have been a celebratory first NFL touchdown, he was surrounded by stunned silence.

He took a hard hit while leaping in the left side of the end zone for the ball. However, as his head crashed uncontrollably in violent fashion against the turf, it was only natural reflex that held onto the ball because his body immediately went limp as Burks fell unconscious for what felt like an eternity.

It was one of those "Did we just watch a player die?" moments no one wants to see.

Finally, Burks was loaded onto a gurney and carted off. It brought a hard stop to a strong rookie year that included seven catches on eight targets for 111 yards at Green Bay two weeks earlier. 

He would recover by Christmas, but his career became one halting injury after another, none of which appear to be related other than they each hampered any ability to build that rookie momentum again and established a reputation for being injury prone and unreliable as a result.

If he can walk off the field healthy Sunday, he can finally turn the corner and officially consider his time with Washington as an official fresh start and full reset.

Not much is known about what happens after that other than a need to discuss a new contract since his one-year, $1.1 million deal will have run out, and his dog will be long overdue for a walk after Burks being gone so long as a result of a successful second chance.

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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