Titans put Treylon Burks on notice with latest free-agent addition

The Tennessee Titans added another piece to the wide receiver room on Tuesday, which may not exactly be great news for 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks.

The Titans signed former Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd to a one-year deal worth up to $4.5M, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, reuniting Boyd with former offensive coordinator and now Titans head coach Brian Callahan.

Sure, most of Boyd’s snaps in the NFL have come from the slot (81.6% to be exact, per Pro Football Focus) while Burks has been primarily a wideout (73.6% of his snaps have come outside, per PFF), but the fact the Titans added another player to their WR corps speaks volumes about Burks’ standing with the team. 

“We have to have someone emerge for us at the slot receiver position, when we're in 11 personnel,” Callahan told reporters prior to the draft. “You need depth at every position. Guys that are fast, explosive and physical, you can't have enough of them.”

Boyd will likely be Tennessee’s featured slot receiver, and with DeAndre Hopkins and prized free-agent signing Calvin Ridley out wide, Burks’ playing time is presumably going to take a hit.

With the top three spots on the depth chart spoken for, Burks will likely be battling Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Kyle Philips, rookie sixth-round pick Jha’Quan Jackson and 2023 seventh-round pick Colton Dowell for two, possibly three roster spots.

“He's a first-round pick, obviously you can see all of the talent,” Titans first-year offensive coordinator Nick Holz told reporters about Burks’ role. “But he's going to get what he earns.”