Former Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks struggling with asthma at NFL minicamp

The Tennessee Titans shocked the league on the first night of the 2022 NFL Draft when they traded Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles. With one of the picks they acquired for Brown, they selected his replacement in Arkansas receiver Treylon Burks.

Slotting in to the WR1 spot for Tennessee was already going to come with challenges of its own. Now, another hurdle has gotten in the former Razorbacks. According to reports from the Titan’s minicamp, Burks has been suffering from asthma-related breathing issues.

#Titans 1st round pick WR Treylon Burks was reportedly spotted having "breathing issues" during the team's rookie minicamp.

When asked about Burks' struggles, WR coach Rob Moore told reporters today: "He has asthma." pic.twitter.com/jhXDiBlRTB

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) June 7, 2022

“It’s unfortunate. Some of the things he’s dealing with are out of his control,” said Tennessee wide receivers coach Rob Moore. “The kid has asthma.”

Throughout the team’s offseason program, head coach Mike Vrabel only went as far to use the term ‘unavailable’. The issue became evident during their minicamp, but Vrabel said the Titans were aware of the condition when they selected him with the 18th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

While it’s hindering his participation in OTAs, the Titans staff isn’t concerned about Burks’ health moving forward.

“He understands what the expectations are. I’m excited about Treylon and what he’s going to be able to bring to this football team,” said Moore. “He just has to get himself healthy and show everybody out here on the field what he’s capable of.”

Burks posted 1,104 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior in Fayetteville last season. Once healthy, he’s expected to be a go-to weapon for Ryan Tannehill on the outside in Nashville.

Treylon Burks officially inks rookie deal with Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans officially inked former Arkansas Razorbacks star Treylon Burks to his rookie deal on Tuesday. The No. 18 overall draft pick signed a four-year, $14.369 million, fully guaranteed contract, per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson.

His first deal includes a fifth-year option that would keep him in Nashville through the 2026 season if the Titans want to extend him. He’ll incur a $2.6 million cap hit for Tennessee in 2022. Burks also received a $7.63 million signing bonus.

Burks’ salary from 2022-2025 is broken up as $705,000, $939,413, $1.567 million and $2.664 million. He also has opportunities for bonuses of $400,000 and $425,000 for 2023 and 2024 as guaranteed training camp roster bonuses.

The Tennessee Titans drafted Burks after trading away star wide receiver AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Razorbacks star had a huge 2022 season to get a first-round draft evaluation.

Burks had 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns for Arkansas in 2021 and was virtually a consensus pick to be selected on night one. He earned first-team All-SEC honors for his efforts just one year after being named second-team All-SEC. The Titans are counting on him to deliver in a similar fashion at the pro level.

Out of high school, Burks was a four-star recruit and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Arkansas from the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He hails from Warren (Ark.), which has a population of roughly 5,600, yet has produced Burks and several more NFL players, namely Greg Childs, Jarius Wright, and Chris Gragg.