Analyst Urges Titans Trade With Steelers

An ESPN Analyst recommends a Tennessee Titans preseason trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sep 24, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. (23) and / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

NASHVILLE — A prominent ESPN NFL reporter has a suggestion for Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon.

In his article on 10 post-NFL Draft trades, Bill Barnell proposes a move he believes could benefit both the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He suggests that the Titans trade their 2022 first-round pick, wide receiver Treylon Burks, to the Steelers. 

Last season, Burks caught 16 passes for 221 yards and scored one touchdown. He was ranked as the 177th-best wide receiver by Pro Football Focus. Injuries have been a problem for Burks. He missed six games in 2022 and started the 2023 season with a knee injury. He later suffered a concussion and missed another six games. Due to these injuries, his production dropped to only 16 catches for 221 yards.

Barnwell suggests that Burks could benefit from a change of environment, noting that Carthon didn't draft Burks and the Titans' recent free agency moves, such as signing Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. 

"One team that has been comfortable taking shots on talented receivers in the past? The Steelers, who usually mitigate that risk by drafting those wideouts in the middle rounds while trusting they can get the most out of them on the field," Barnwell wrote. "Pittsburgh didn't seem to pursue Burks in 2022, when it was focused on Kenny Pickett in the draft, but had Burks been available in the second or third round, that might have been a different story."

There was a lot of speculation that the recent Boyd signing would negatively impact Burks. First-year Titans coach Brian Callahan did his best to dispel those rumors. 

"I wouldn't say there's a diminished role of any sort,"  Callahan said last week. "We've made very clear to Treylon (Burks) that the signing of Tyler (Boyd) is not about him. It's about helping our team get better, adding better players to our team, making us a competitive football team. What he's done and how he's worked has been great. And I'm anticipating him still being able to play a good role for us. Look, you’ve got to have guys that can step in and play. "You've got to have guys that play roles, and that hasn't changed. It doesn't change anything for Treylon as far as what we're expecting from him and what I'm hopeful that he's able to bring to the offense. So, we communicated that to him and made sure he was aware, and it's not about him. It's about making our team better, making our receiving corps more competitive, adding more depth to our team in general."

Barnwell added some details to his proposal.

"If the Titans are willing to eat $6 million of what's left on Burks' deal, I could see the logic in Pittsburgh sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to Tennessee to give him a fresh start," Barnwell wrote. 

As of now it appears the Titans are willing to ride it out with Burks in hopes that a healthy offseason leads to more production for the 2024 season. 

"That's always valuable when the guys are healthy," Callahan said. "They get a chance to really lean into the work. They can really improve. It's hard sometimes when you're injured to learn and then not be able to do. And so, being healthy allows you to take all the things that we talk about and be able to go on the grass and execute it. So, that part's a huge advantage. So guys, when you get an offseason where you're healthy, you can really make strides and really improve."

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