Burks isn't having any problems with his breathing this spring, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports. "I would say I feel faster," Burks said Tuesday, "because I can breathe."
Burks was bothered by asthma last spring and ended up missing some of the offseason program just weeks after the Titans drafted him 18th overall. He then lost some weight and worked on his conditioning, and no further issues were reported during training camp or the season. Burks missed four games with a toe injury and two due to a concussion, but he showed progress in between these two stints with 20 targets and 205 yards over a three-game stretch (Weeks 10-12) before he hit his head on the ground while making his lone TD catch of the year in the first quarter of a Week 13 loss. After missing the rest of that game and two others, Burks returned to an offense using Malik Willis and Joshua Dobbs under center. The Titans now have both Burks and Tannehill healthy for their offseason program, and while the veteran QB could be challenged by second-round pick Will Levis, the team didn't prioritize adding WRs this offseason after releasing Robert Woods. Even if the run-first mentality is a given, the Titans will need something from their WR group and seem to be counting on Burks for an awful lot. If not him, they'll need a huge step forward from someone like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Chris Moore, Racey McMath, Kyle Phillips or seventh-round pick Colton Dowell.
