Burks Unable to Help Prevent Vrabel from Being Fired at Tennessee

First round pick's struggles, injuries highlight pair of difficult years for now departed Titans coach

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2024 4:23 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When former Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks first got drafted by Tennessee in the first round of the NFL draft in 2022, it seemed like a match made in Heaven.

Burks had dominated the SEC and provided a unicorn type receiver who thrives in the NFL with his combination of size, speed and strength. As for Burks, he was getting to go to a place where the cultural and physical climate were similar to places he'd called home all his life. If he picked up a fishing pole to hit the banks of the Cumberland River after practice to snatch a few bream and crappie, no one would bat an eye. He also wouldn't have to learn how to locate a ball in a blinding snowstorm.

As for Vrabel, even though he's a no-nonsense linebacker from the midwest, his presence and blue collar demeanor would have fit in well had he popped into Molly's Diner down in Warren, Burks' home town. As he basked in the spotlight in his bright white sports coat and blue jeans shortly after the draft, they sky appeared to be the limit. Vrabel had the game-changing receiver he needed and Burks had a suitable home.

And that's as high as things got. Vrabel is now on the unemployment line after being fired Tuesday afternoon, and if Burks can't turn things around in Tennessee next year under the Titans' new coach, he will soon follow.

The signs of potential trouble were there for this pair right away. Not long after being drafted, Burks reported to rookie mini-camp and couldn't get through a single day as asthma and conditioning sidelined him. However, Vrabel was patient, knowing the player he had seen on film, and allowed his rookie the chance to work through things while he adjusted to life in the NFL.

During summer camp, Burks struggled a bit, but seemed ready for the season. 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 throughout his first two years as he missed October and the first week of November.

However, leg injuries are something Burks has proven from high school through college to be something from which he can bounce back. Once rehab was over, the Burks who returned was who the organization thought it was getting. He torched Green Bay for seven catches and 111 yards. Vrabel's Titans were now 4-2 with Burks on the field, which was a promising sign, and that was without the young receiver producing a single touchdown.

That would end against Philadelphia as quarterback Ryan Tannehill zipped a 25-yard pass over the middle to Burks to tie the game. However, in a terrifying moment for Burks family and Razorbacks fans everywhere, he laid motionless in the end zone clutching the ball to his side for a long time. He was so instantly still for so long, there was genuine concern he had been killed on the field.

He returned a few weeks later on Christmas Eve for a few plays, but still didn't look right before closing the final two games with four catches each in losing efforts to Dallas and Jacksonville. Then, as the calendar turned to 2023 and the Titans put more hope in Burks' growth, the injuries piled up, as did the losses.

First, there was an LCL strain in the preseason. Then after making it through three weeks of the regular season, Burks went down again, this time with a patella sprain that kept him out for a month. He made it back in time to close out October against Atlanta, but recorded no catches.

The following week he managed a pair of catches and was looking for a third along the sideline in heavy traffic with two minutes left in the game that would have given the Titans a shot at taking down Pittsburgh. Much like Philadelphia, he held onto the ball, but in an effort to get his second foot down, Burks allowed all of his momentum to crash onto the turf, thus banging the back of his head. He would soon be carted off, missing another month with another concussion.

Just like the year before, Burks made it back for the last few games in December, and just like in 2022, the Titans went through a string of losses that kept them out of the playoffs, causing the organization to decide to go a new direction at head coach.

There were whispers at one point in the season that Tennessee might try to trade Burks, but no one outside of the Titans' administrative offices will ever know for sure because the string of injuries makes him untradable.

Still, Tennessee fans seem willing to give Burks one more year to prove he can thrive under a different system and also stay healthy. Fantasy draft sites like Draftsharks.com don't project that happening, and the history behind concussions and how they tend to become easier to get as they pile up warns against it also.

A graphic showing Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks as a high risk in fantasy drafts because of injury risk. — (Draftsharks.com)

However, next season is a fresh start for Burks in what will likely be a make or break season. Either he finds a way to be productive and stay healthy, or he will have more time than he would like to get a little extra fall fishing in down on the river.