What Titans signing Calvin Ridley means for Treylon Burks

One of the reasons the Tennessee Titans desperately needed help at wide receiver this offseason was the disappointing start to the career of former first-round pick, Treylon Burks.

Thankfully, the Titans made the big move they needed by agreeing to terms with Calvin Ridley, who will now form a 1A/B situation with fellow wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.

The move pushes Burks down the depth chart to No. 3, at least, depending on what the Titans do moving forward in free agency and the draft — and that couldn’t be better news for him for a few reasons.

For starters, Burks having as little pressure as possible going into what I deem a make-or-break year is great. He doesn’t have to play a key role in Tennessee’s offense with two alphas in the same passing attack.

Further, Burks can now move to more of a slot role, where many experts felt he was best off upon entering the NFL. That role allows him to showcase his yards-after-catch ability more, which is his best trait.

One thing I didn’t mention in the moment but thought about after, I wonder if the Ridley deal moves Treylon Burks into the slot.

RP subscribers know I was below consensus on him as a prospect and thought he had to play as a low volume big slot. He has only played outside in the… https://t.co/FbmemENvLg

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) March 14, 2024

And, opposing defenses will be focusing most of their attention on Ridley and Hopkins on the outside, which will only open things up more for the Arkansas product.

One thing I’d keep in the old back pocket is the fact that trading Burks can more easily be done if the Titans need to add him to a deal to get it done, like for Kansas City Chiefs cornerback, L’Jarius Sneed, for example.

Granted, the Titans couldn’t depend on Burks going into next season before the signing, but there was a chance they may have been forced to if free agency didn’t prove fruitful or if the Titans failed to land an immediate-impact player in the draft.

Had that been the case, it would have been more difficult to justify dealing the 23-year-old, even with all of his struggles. Now, that is no longer something the Titans need to worry about.