The Pittsburgh Steelers have a much improved roster from the 2023 season, but there is still a massive hole. The organization is desperate for a wide receiver, especially after trading away their best route runner in Diontae Johnson. Throughout the entire 2024 offseason, Pittsburgh has been involved in trade rumors with countless star receivers around the league. A splash move like this would be great, but it is more realistic that Omar Khan takes a more conservative approach when acquiring more receiver talent.
The Steelers will be in trouble if they don't go after some quality talent at the receiver position to take some of the pressure off of George Pickens. Getting a guy like Brandon Aiyuk would be costly, and a better strategy might be going after a player like Treylon Burks. Burks was the Tennessee Titans first round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but hasn't found his footing in the NFL quite yet. Insider Ray Fittipaldo went on 93.7 The Fan on Friday, and discussed what makes a guy like Burks attractive to the Steelers.
"Treylon Burks is a former first round pick of the Titans. The Steelers love reclamation projects, that seems like a pet project for Mike Tomlin. Over the years, a lot of times, those guys don't work out. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Steelers took a flyer on a guy like that. I wouldn't give up much for him."
Head Coach Mike Tomlin is known for getting the best out of his players, no matter the circumstance. It's a big reason he is so highly praised for never having a losing season in his head coaching career. Even when Ben Roethlisberger went down at the beginning of the 2019 season, Tomlin helped the Steelers limp to an impressive 8-8 finish. This could be exactly what Burks needs as he looks to revive his career.
Burks is entering his third season, and has yet to live up to his potential. He has played just 11 games in each of his first two years, starting 15 of them. The start to his career has been disappointing as he has caught just 49 passes for 665 yards and a touchdown. Burks certainly hasn't played well, but the Titans being a run-heavy team with quarterback issues hasn't helped his development.
Unnecessary pressure was placed on Burks when the Titans selected him with the 18th overall pick in 2022. This was the pick the Titans acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles when they traded for Pro Bowl receiver AJ Brown. Brown was extremely successful in Tennessee, and Burks immediately faced a ton of pressure to fill his shoes. This hindered the start of Burks' career, along with multiple injuries.
After two disappointing seasons in Tennessee, it should be assumed that Burks would benefit from a change of scenery. A coach like Tomlin would be able to get the best out of the third-year receiver, and an opportunity in Pittsburgh would be a fresh start for Burks.
Steelers Wouldn't Need To Give Up Much To Acquire Burks
If Pittsburgh had any interest in Burks, they should be able to trade for him rather easily. The Titans receiver room is impressive with their top two options being DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley, so there isn't much of a need to keep Burks around.
A similar trade that has happened in the past occurred when the New England Patriots traded N'Keal Harry to the Chicago Bears. New England selected Harry 32nd overall in 2019, and he spent three years with the organization. His production was slightly worse than Burks, but he was dealt for just a seventh round selection.
The Steelers are expected to have three seventh round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, so a similar deal can be made in exchange for Burks. He is also on his rookie contract, so it wouldn't be expensive to have him in Pittsburgh for a season.
