With injuries threatening to derail a once-promising season, Washington Commanders’ general manager Adam Peters has been scouring for reinforcements.
He has signed multiple players at the club’s two most significant positions of need — defensive end and wide receiver. The latest pass-catcher to join the fold is 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks.
As reclamation projects go, Burks would not appear to offer very much to the room. He was the last of six wideouts chosen in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, taken by the Tennessee Titans two spots after Washington chose Jahan Dotson. They are the only players out of the six who are no longer with the team that selected them.
Burks has played in just 27 games in three seasons. The five receivers chosen ahead of him — even the underachieving Dotson — all have at least 100 career catches and 1,300 receiving yards. He has managed just 53 and 699.
Borderline stars like George Pickens, Alec Pierce, and Khalil Shakir were all taken after Burks. His résumé up til now has draft bust written all over it.
Still, there may be reason for optimism.
Treylon Burks could have stumbled into the perfect fit with the Commanders
First, it has to be noted that bad luck has played a role in Burks’s lack of success. He was drafted by a team that was beginning a rather serious fall. His first head coach, offensive coordinator, and starting quarterback would all be gone within two years.
Injuries have been a constant thorn. He missed time early in his rookie season with turf toe. When Burks returned, he had his most success as a pro.
In a three-game stretch in the middle of his rookie season, Burks caught 14 of 20 targets for 205 receiving yards. A high-volume catch rate of 70 percent and 14.6 yards per reception does not conjure up “bust” in anyone’s mind.
Then, a double-whammy of bad luck. Offensive coordinator Todd Downing was arrested for DUI, which seemed to throw the entire squad into a funk. They lost seven straight games after the incident, falling from 7-3 to 7-10.
Then, in a Week 13 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Burks made his first touchdown catch, a gorgeous leaping grab off a 25-yard Ryan Tannehill throw that tied the game early on. Safety Marcus Epps delivered a crunching blow, attempting to jar the ball loose. The wideout held on. He also suffered a concussion that would keep him out of action for the next two weeks and change the course of his career.
In seven-plus games before that hit, Burks caught 25 passes for 359 receiving yards — 14.4 yards per catch. Since then, he has played in just 19 more contests, with 28 total receptions and 340 yards. That works out to 12.1 yards per catch. The touchdown against the Eagles remains his only score in the NFL.
Burks was a force in college at Arkansas. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he was too strong for college defensive backs to handle. Though he lacked elite speed, he was a very consistent deep threat, using his body and his powerful hands to ward off smaller cornerbacks and catch long balls.
He racked up just under 2,400 receiving yards in three seasons as a Razorback. Burks never dipped below 16 yards per catch in that time.
He also ran the ball. Burks would line up in the backfield and power his way through defenders to the tune of almost six yards per carry. So, we are looking at a big, powerfully built receiver who, despite his lack of blazing speed, has been a deep ball threat and who can run effectively out of the backfield.
Does that sound like anybody currently on the Commanders?
When he was coming out of college, the most common comp was Deebo Samuel Sr., who was coming off his spectacular 2021 season. When scouts looked at Burks, that is what they saw as his ceiling. A new offensive coordinator each year, suspect quarterback play, and pernicious injuries prevented any of that from happening in Tennessee.
In Washington, Burks has three big things in his favor. There is Kliff Kingsbury, an offensive coordinator who is likely to put him in a position to succeed. Then there is Jayden Daniels, a quarterback who will give him chances with deep balls and will buy time in the pocket to allow him to find separation.
And finally, there is Samuel.
A player like Burks could not ask for a better mentor. Samuel has found many ways to be successful despite lacking breakaway speed. Merely getting a route-running tutorial from the All-Pro and Terry McLaurin should make him a better receiver.
If and when everyone is healthy, it will be interesting to see whether Kingsbury uses Burks as a backup for Samuel, or whether he draws up schemes that have them on the field together. There would not be a lot of speed, but there would be a gold mine of size, power, and versatility — something that a creative play designer might relish.
Burks is still a dart-throw. He has to stay healthy. He has to learn from the veterans and the coaches alike. He has to regain whatever confidence he seems to have lost when Epps hit him — but failed to dislodge the ball — back in 2022.
If he can do all those things, Burks could be a valuable player in Washington.