Burks' Attitude Adjustment Turns Heads

NASHVILLE – In the fourth game of his rookie season, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks limped to the sideline with a turf-toe injury, one that sent him to injured reserve and forced him to miss the next four games.

Maybe that month-long absence from the game he loved served as motivational fuel for Burks. Maybe not.

All offensive coordinator Todd Downing knows is that he likes the seemingly new-and-improved version of Burks, who has returned to the lineup with a bang – 14 receptions for 205 yards (14.7-yard average) over the past three weeks.

In his first four games (including the one in which he was injured), Burks – the Titans’ first-round pick last April -- had totaled 10 catches for 129 yards.

“I think Treylon has really come back from his time off with a new sense of urgency, and kind of an eagerness to get on the same page with (quarterback Ryan Tannehill), and that’s been cool to see,” Downing said. "I’ve just been so pleased with the way he approached each day.

"He came out (Wednesday), and it was a little bit of a down-tempo drill and he’s out there, we’re having to slow him down. So when you have to slow a guy down as opposed to spur him on, you know it’s important to him.”

Downing isn’t the only key figure to note a change in Burks, who missed Thursday’s practice with an illness.

Head coach Mike Vrabel, for instance, didn’t hesitate earlier this week when asked where he’s seen the most improvement in Burks’ game.

“His attitude, the way he comes to work,” Vrabel said, using the short week leading up to the Green Bay game as an example. “When you are trying to add a couple of wrinkles in practice, … it is a quick practice, things are shortened. There were some mistakes. But I watched him work hard with (receivers coach Rob Moore) in a walk-through and get those things corrected so that he felt good going into the game.

“He had a good game and followed it up with a good game. I just think his overall attitude, his competitiveness is good. We will just keep working.”

There was never really much doubt as to whether the physical skills of the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Burks would translate to the NFL, not after he caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns during his final season at Arkansas.

The more difficult transition was always going to be the mental one. Burks played mostly slot receiver in a run-pass option scheme for the Razorbacks. With the Titans and their more traditional, professional approach, he spends the bulk of his time in the `X’ receiver role.

But Burks’ grasp of the system has taken a recent leap forward, according to Tannehill, who said he’s been particularly impressed with Burks’ increased self-belief.

“It’s his confidence in what we're asking him to do,” Tannehill said. “It is not just a concept on paper. It’s, ‘How do we adjust each route to fit the defense that is out there?’

“Sometimes there is a lot of variation in how you run the (route) depending on the defense, and then in some concepts we really need you to pretty much stick to how we install it – and then you are pretty much the same no matter what the defense is. Just understanding the nuances and places where you have a little bit more of that freedom to put some variance in how you run the route, and when you fit into a larger picture of where we need you to be.”

When Tannehill’s praise was relayed to Burks, he offered a brief smile and a nod, small signs of emotion for a player who – off the field – has been pretty reserved during his rookie season.

“Yeah, it’s just been listening to the key details that the coaches give out in meetings and using them when I go out there,” Burks said. “It makes it easier when I actually see that defense and I can adjust to it.”

Burks will forever draw comparisons to former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown, whose trade to Philadelphia during this year's draft all but necessitated Tennessee’s selection of Burks with the 18th overall pick. That scrutiny will increase this Sunday when Tennessee (7-4) plays at Philadelphia (10-1).

Brown recorded an eye-opening 52 catches for 1,051 yards (20.2-yard average) and eight touchdowns during his rookie season (2019) numbers that Burks (24 catches for 334 yards and zero receiving touchdowns) will be hard-pressed to match this season.

But for Burks and the Titans, the good news is that – after returning from injury – it’s become increasingly clear he’s headed in the right direction.

“I’m excited about where Treylon is trending the last couple of weeks, the way that he’s caught the ball well in contested environments, the way he’s produced a little bit after the catch, made some contested catches,” Downing said. “I’m excited about the trajectory he’s on.”