Titans Officially Release Former First-Round WR

Consistency was a huge issue, as the Arkansas alum never saw his collegiate success translate to the NFL. With the Razorbacks, he had nearly 2,000 yards with 19 total touchdowns in his final two seasons. In his senior season alone, he had more receptions (66) and receiving yards (1,104) than he did in his first three years in Tennessee combined.

Having played 27 games in three seasons, Burks has 53 receptions on 92 targets for 699 yards. It's worth noting 444 of those yards came in his 2022 season, the only year he showed any real potential. Burks showed flashes in 2022, but 70 of his 221 yards came on one reception.

Tennessee tried to unlock a new element to Burks' game when they used him in the backfield in '22. That season, he had four rushing attempts for 47 yards. In total, three of those four carries went for a first down. Having averaged 11.8 yards per attempt, that number fell to 3.6 in '23 when he had five carries for just 18 yards. After that, the experiment was over.

HC Brian Callahan got just five games out of Burks last season. He never had more than one reception in a game, and that reception was never longer than 13 yards. It's clear Burks is nowhere near the player he was in 2021, but that doesn't mean he can't get back to that point. Burks, at this point, isn't ever going to be WR1 on a team, though he could serve a vital purpose on any team that lacks depth.

NFL Networks' Mike Garafolo followed up on Ian Rapoport's report from October 6, which said that Burks was released. Despite ESPN's Turron Davenport claiming otherwise, his release was officially confirmed the very next day. With a fresh start ahead of him, Burks is cleared to practice and can immediately search for a new team.