What Treylon Burks release actually means for Tennessee Titans on field, as organization
Now that the Tennessee Titans have waived Treylon Burks, just five players drafted by former general manager Jon Robinson remain on the roster: cornerback Roger McCreary, tight end Chig Okonkwo, defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, safety Amani Hooker and offensive lineman Corey Levin. And for what it's worth, Levin is a bit of an asterisk. The Titans have waived or released him five times.
Burks' release on July 28 is hardly a surprise. Even if he had not suffered a broken collarbone on July 26, it would have been an uphill battle for him to find a place to contribute on this team. But his departure is yet another symbol of the lost years of the Titans' roster.
After building an impressive core from 2016 to 2019, the Titans' entire operation, led by Robinson, followed through with three years of misses. The first-round failures of Burks, cornerback Caleb Farley and offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson are the most notable whiffs. But the long list of missteps in this window also includes bad draft picks like Darrynton Evans, Monty Rice, Dez Fitzpatrick and Nicholas Petit-Frere; the mismanagement of draft picks who've gone on to succeed elsewhere such as Elijah Molden and (to a lesser degree) Malik Willis; and the poor or shortsighted free agency and trade investments like Vic Beasley, Bud Dupree, Julio Jones and Dennis Daley.
ESTES: This was a fun Tennessee Titans fan day. Then Treylon Burks got hurt again
None of this is news. But consider the state of the AFC South. The Houston Texans still have nine players they drafted from 2020 to 2022, including cornerstone pieces like receiver Nico Collins, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety Jalen Pitre. The Indianapolis Colts have 10 players left from those drafts, including running back Jonathan Taylor, receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and defensive end Kwity Paye.
And the Jacksonville Jaguars have 11, most notably quarterback Trevor Lawrence, cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rusher Travon Walker.
The Titans have Okonkwo, Simmons and McCreary.
It's hard to ignore that inequity.
The truth is that cutting Burks doesn't much hurt the Titans. Failing to develop Burks into a No. 1 receiver hurt the Titans. Three of their four biggest contracts on the books belong to receiver Calvin Ridley, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. — all of whom can, at least in part, be seen as filling the roles that Burks, Farley and Wilson never did. And all of whom cost a lot of money that the Titans could've spent on plugging holes elsewhere on the roster instead of throwing big contracts at correcting failures.
So, no. Don't get caught up in the wonder and the worry about what the Titans are going to look like without Burks in 2025. The answer is probably very similar to what they would've looked like with him.
But this development is yet another reminder of the root of why Titans have struggled the past three seasons, and why it has been so hard to claw back to relevance.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin' Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Treylon Burks' release actually says about Tennessee Titans
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