Burks Finds Himself in Make, Break Season in Tennessee

Former Razorback will be under microscope of new Titans NFL regime, will need perfection to avoid getting cut

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jan 24, 2024 12:46 PM EST

In this story:

NASHVILLE – The gauntlet just got thrown down on former Arkansas Razorbacks receiver Treylon Burks. Following key moves within the Tennessee Titans organization, the clock has formally started for the 2022 first round draft pick to put up or go home.

The message begins with the hire of NFL passing game guru Brian Callahan with the express purpose of turning Will Levis into an elite quarterback and the future of the franchise. Callahan is known for squeezing the last drop of talent out of a physically crumbling Peyton Manning to secure a Super Bowl championship in Denver. He also got two of Matt Stafford's most prolific seasons in Detroit and helped mold Joe Burrow within three points of becoming a Super Bowl champion himself two years ago in Cincinnati.

Callahan is going to be looking to make an immediate impact and that begins by making sure Levis has the most capable receivers to elevate his game. While Burks has flashed brilliance, injuries have greatly hampered his progress.

That's why the other shake-up in Nashville is so important. Ron Carthon has been promoted to general manager, so he too will be in need of making a splash, which means close cooperation with Callahan. As everyone knows, when new leadership comes to town, leashes get shortened as any excuse is sought to move out the old to install people who are their guys.

Most concerning for Burks is one particular duty Carthon has accepted. In addition to vice president and general manager, he will also oversee scouting, player engagement and sports medicine. Those all make sense for someone in charge of player personnel, but it immediately puts Burks under the microscope.

One of the first things Carthon will do is break out the player health profiles and see the extensive report of injuries dating far back into Burks' time in Warren where he also struggled to stay on the field in a fully healthy capacity. His annual lack of availability puts a giant red circle around his name as one of the players to watch intently.

At the first sign of a limp or an inability to consistently get open and come down with tough catches, he's probably on the chopping block. Burks is at a point where a decision will need to be made on his contract, so instead of letting him suffer a season-ending injury, if he tweaks something in offseason workouts, Carthon is going to want to squeeze what little value he can get out of Burks in the trade market.

If he can't secure even a late pick, there's a chance the former Razorback could find himself outright cut. The only way to avoid this is to ball out with a career season in perfect health.

There will be others waiting standby for the proverbial chopping block as well, but Burks will be first in line given the goals of this new regime. Fortunately for the Titans receiver, his cap hit is cut nearly in half after June 1 from $4.6 million to to $2.7 million. That almost guarantees he will get a chance to get into preseason camp to show what he can do in a Callahan system and prove he can be trusted both as a go-to receiver and with his health.

However, even if he makes it through the season, if the performance is lackluster, Burks is gone. At that point the team can cut him and reclaim over $4.5 million toward the cap to potentially use on multiple players without penalty.

Either way, it's a make or break year for Burks. And if history is any indicator, that word break can be taken quite literally.