There are camp injuries… and then there are the ones that hit like a gut punch wrapped in déjà vu. Just a day ago, the Titans celebrated Treylon Burks’ full-speed return from an ACL rehab, but the optimism flatlined for Brian Callahan. Burks had spent the past nine months grinding through rehab, sprinting through positional drills, and repeating to anyone who’d listen that this year – finally – would be the one.

After three years of stop-and-go starts, the fourth-year wideout had declared himself back. “It was a different type of offseason for me. Learn how to run, learn how to jump,” he said on July 24. Quarterback Cam Ward, barely two months into Titans gear, had already picked Burks as one of his top weapons: “Not a lot of guys his size can move like him.” Well, that was Thursday. By Saturday, Burks was on the turf at Nissan Stadium, clutching his shoulder after a diving one-handed grab gone sideways.

Within hours, Brian Callahan went from hopeful head coach to emergency roster mechanic. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news: Tennessee is signing former Raiders WR Ramel Keyton, per agent Zac Hiller. Keyton, 24, barely made a dent in Vegas – one catch, seven yards, eight games. He’s been waiting for a second shot since April, and the Titans are giving him another shot… for now. But here’s the catch – he’s walking into a receiver room – Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson, Xavier Restrepo…it’s a buffet. Whether Keyton gets more than a bite depends on how long Burks is out and how thin Brian Callahan’s options get. But how did it all unravel so quickly?

Well, here’s what went down. On Saturday, after skying for a highlight-reel one-hander, only to come crashing down shoulder-first, and potentially season-altering. This wasn’t just another limp to the sideline. Burks, coming off an ACL tear and hungry to reclaim his role, suffered a fractured collarbone on that single diving grab. It was meant to be a statement catch. Instead, it triggered a statement move.

Burks, for what it’s worth, had been preaching redemption. He looked lean, sharp, and motivated. “I feel like I’m in a good place, man. God has brought me from the lowest to the highest and highest to the lowest. I’m blessed for that,” he said on Day 1 of camp. Saturday? That spiritual rollercoaster took another hard drop. So now it’s more rehab, more waiting. And another Titans camp storyline that escalated in the ‘snap of a shoulder’. The timing couldn’t have been more brutal.

Treylon Burks’ comeback turns into another setback for Brian Callahan

Just two days before the hit, Brian Callahan had doubled down on Burks’ potential – and issued a public challenge. “I like his ability, I like his talent,” he said. “You have to make the plays when you have opportunities to make them — that’s in practice, that’s in preseason games, that’s in regular season games.”

Burks had heard the noise. He knew 2025 was make-or-break. Entering Year 4 with just 53 catches, 699 yards, and one touchdown in 27 games, he wasn’t just fighting to earn reps. He was fighting to stay employed. His fifth-year option was declined. His cap hit ($4.6 million dead money) was the only thing keeping his foot in the door. “I say with that whole contract deal, I don’t think about that at all,” Burks said. “I don’t play football for money; I play it just because I love the game… I’m grateful for every opportunity the Titans have given me.”

He did exactly that – until Saturday’s brutal dive derailed the comeback story. And for Keyton, that means the door is cracked open. The former Tennessee Volunteer never found rhythm in Vegas, but now returns to the state where he built his name in college. He’ll join practice Monday, hoping to climb over a mountain of names in the WR room. The opportunity is real, even if the odds are long.