National Football League

If Treylon Burks misses time, how will Titans cope? Answer is in their makeup

Updated Oct. 6, 2022 5:17 p.m. ET

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By Ben Arthur
FOX Sports AFC South Writer

These Tennessee Titans are built for extreme adversity. It comes from experience. 

Last season, their all-everything running back Derrick Henry missed nine games. Star receiver A.J. Brown missed four games. Julio Jones, battling a nagging hamstring issue, missed seven games. The Titans were forced to use 91 players in all, an NFL record for a non-strike season. They had every reason to fold — and yet they thrived, winning 12 games en route to the AFC's top playoff seed for the first time in 13 years.

Tennessee (2-2) has embraced the "next man up" mentality as well as any team. 

It's something the Titans can lean into as top pick Treylon Burks deals with a toe injury. 

"No one in this building ever flinches at anything," receiver Cody Hollister said. 

Burks was hurt in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win over the Colts. He was eventually ruled out after being carted to the locker room from the sidelines. 

While coach Mike Vrabel said he wasn't sure how long Burks would be out and that he'd continue to be evaluated, the NFL Network reported Monday that he has a turf toe injury likely to keep him sidelined "multiple" weeks and that a stint on injured reserve — where he'd have to miss at least four games — is possible. 

Burks being out for any amount of time would mark a big blow for the Titans' offense, which hasn't scored in the second half since the season opener. He has been the team's second-leading receiver, with 10 receptions for 129 yards in four games. Despite dealing with asthma and conditioning issues in the spring, the former Arkansas star has made steady progress and started to come into his own. 

Tennessee has used the No. 18 overall pick similarly to how it used Brown in previous seasons: with play-action shots over the middle. Half of Burks' targets have come in the short and immediate center of the field (0-20 yards), where he has seven receptions on eight targets for 95 yards, nearly 74% of his receiving production, according to Pro Football Focus.

Burks has also been the Titans' best receiver at creating space. Per Next Gen Stats, he has averaged 3.9 yards of separation from the nearest defender at the time of a catch or incompletion, tied for 12th in the NFL with Dolphins star Tyreek Hill. Burks also averages a team-best 5.9 yards gained after the catch, tied for 22nd in the league. 

"Treylon is obviously a tough guy to replace, but it gives other guys opportunities," quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. "Whoever ends up stepping in there for us and getting a bigger role, he's going to have to come up huge for us."

If Burks misses an extended period of time, the Titans will have to lean even more on veteran Robert Woods, their leading receiver with 13 catches for 167 yards. Since a quiet opener, when he saw just two targets, Woods has had the significant role in the passing game that most expected when he arrived in Tennessee via trade. He has a team-high 20 targets.

Woods was slated to be the team's No. 2 receiver before the stunning trade sending Brown to the Eagles made him the top option. 

"He stays steady," Tannehill said of Woods. "I think Robert has done a good job since he's gotten here of buying in and trying to do everything we're asking of him. … He just kind of stayed consistent, stayed on top of his details. If you're able to do that, the ball is going to find you. I have a lot of confidence throwing him the ball. Hopefully, he continues to get himself open." 

Vrabel on Monday also pointed to the versatility of the Titans' receiver room being a benefit.

Hollister and fellow wideout Nick Westbrook-Ikhine said that the team places an emphasis on understanding plays conceptually as opposed to just routes. So when someone goes down, it's easier for another player to fill in seamlessly — regardless of if he's lining up at a different spot in the formation. 

"Every position — whether you're a starting X [receiver] or a starting Z [receiver] or whatever — you're called to know conceptually what's happening because a play is more than just routes or individual things. It's working together," Hollister said. "I believe any good offense is going to call their plays to know it conceptually."

Of course, Henry remains the focal point of the offense. That won't change. After a slow start, the superstar running back has been ascending in the past couple of weeks — 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry during the Titans' two-game winning streak — and has emerged as a pass-catching threat out of the backfield. He has received at least five passing targets in back-to-back games for the first time in his career entering Sunday's game against the Commanders (1-3).

And even without Burks, Tennessee's receivers can pride themselves on their physicality. Other than fifth-round rookie slot receiver Kyle Philips, every wideout on the active roster is at least 6 feet tall and 195 pounds. That size helps with run-blocking, a major responsibility for Titans receivers, and helps in matchups with defensive backs. 

"It's something [receivers coach Rob Moore] tells us to do," Westbrook-Ikhine said. "‘Big guys play big. Don't try to be something you're not. Use your strength to your advantage.'" 

Asked about replacing Burks, Hollister said Moore stresses the "next man up" philosophy. 

"Missing a guy like Treylon sucks because he's so incredibly talented and everything," Hollister said. "But when adversity hits, you just keep going and battling it out." 

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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Ben Arthur