Coming off a 3-14 season last year, the Tennessee Titans made a bold decision to select Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. A year after five quarterbacks were selected in the first round, Ward was seen as the top quarterback in the 2025 draft, as this year's quarterback class was significantly weak.
As the Titans prepare for the 2025 season, Ward wasted no time hyping several Titans receivers, including Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks, whom he named among his top four wide receivers in the NFL while livestreaming. While it is nice that he was being optimistic and sticking out for his teammate, it may be more wishful thinking than grounded reality.
Treyon Burks is facing an uphill battle to make the Titans roster
Every Titans fan will forever remember April 28, 2022, when the Titans traded wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for their 18th overall pick and a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They used the 18th pick to select Burks, who was a promising wide receiver from Arkansas. His size and speed drew a comparison to Brown.
However, his NFL journey has been marred by injuries and underwhelming production. Most recently, Burks tore his ACL, sidelining him for the latter part of the 2024 season. He missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp in 2025, participating only in non-contact drills. Over three seasons, Burks hasmanaged only 53 receptions for 699 yards and one touchdown in his entire career.
Meanwhile, Brown has flourished with the Eagles. In his first season with Philadelphia, Brown set the franchise record for receiving yards with 1,496 yards in 2022 and 1456 yards in 2023. He was rewarded with a three-year, $96 million extension last April. But despite a down year in 2024, and showing frustrations on the sideline for lack of touches at times, he still led them to a Super Bowl 59 win.
While it’s admirable that Ward wants to uplift his teammates, the team added five new receivers this offseason, including veterans Calvin Ridley, Van Jefferson, and Tyler Lockett, as well as promising rookies Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor, and Xavier Restrepo, Ward’s favorite target from his record-setting season at Miami(FL). Burks simply hasn’t shown the consistency, durability, or production to stay with the Titans.
Even as a rookie, Ward will learn that praising Burks means nothing in the NFL, and sentiment doesn’t win you games. As the Titans are about the begin their painful rebuild, they are ready to close the chapter on Burks, who will be remembered for the trade that caused their downward spiral over the last three years.