After dealing wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers and allowing Allen Robinson to go in free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost two essential components of their passing attack during the offseason.
There is still a huge gap in Pittsburgh’s wide receiver corps, even after the team chose Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 draft and added veterans Van Jefferson, Marquez Callaway, and Quez Watkins.
Because of this, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks they should acquire wide receiver Treylon Burks of the Tennessee Titans. Burks was a first-round selection in the past and is probably seeking a change of scenery after the team acquired Tyler Boyd and Calvin Ridley this offseason.
Although Barnwell’s trade idea makes perfect sense, his proposal shortchanges Burks and the Titans.
Burks’ contract would not need to be eaten by the Titans because Pittsburgh has a little over $18 million in cap room. Moreover, a sixth-round pick two years from now is a pitiful return for a player who was selected two years ago with the 18th overall choice.
With the departures of Johnson and Robinson, the Steelers are, if anything, the club more desperate to complete the trade. They lost almost 27% of their total receptions, 30% of their receiving yards, and 38% of their touchdown receptions from the previous season.
While Burks’ play has been inconsistent in his first two seasons, he has also struggled with asthma, many injuries, and the uncertainty that comes with playing for two different offensive coordinators and receiving throws from four different quarterbacks in Tennessee.
The 24-year-old displayed potential in his rookie season, hauling in 33 passes on 54 targets for 444 yards and a touchdown. However, injuries kept him out of action for the entire 2018 season, and the Titans’ dubious training and conditioning program probably didn’t help either.
Though Burks and Arthur Smith did not play together while Burks was with the Titans, the Steelers offensive coordinator is the only person who can fully utilize Burks’ skills. During his first two seasons in the NFL, Smith led A.J. Brown to consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and 19 touchdowns overall as the Titans offensive coordinator.
Since his draft year, Burks and Brown have drawn comparisons to one another because to their comparable playing styles.
