What Tyler Boyd signing means for Tennessee Titans, QB Will Levis, WR Treylon Burks

The Tennessee Titans' offense finally feels complete . . . in the short run.

The team agreed to terms with veteran receiver Tyler Boyd on Tuesday, a source confirmed to The Tennessean. The former Cincinnati Bengals player gives the Titans a bona fide third option in their receiver room alongside DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley, as well as a player who has proven he's comfortable running routes from the slot, an area the Titans were severely lacking in experience.

Boyd's signing doesn't magically transform the offense into a top-five unit. Rather, it's another incremental step forward for an offense that barely had any starting-caliber skill players three months ago. It's an investment in quarterback Will Levis' immediate development over the team's future stability; Boyd and Hopkins are on one-year deals for 2024, so the Titans might have to reinvent in 2025.

But if the goal is to surround Levis with consistent, steadying presences who make it easier for him to live up to his potential, Boyd is about as textbook of a fit for that criteria as possible.

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Here are three more takeaways from the Boyd signing.

Tyler Boyd, DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley: Does age matter?

Boyd turns 30 in November. Ridley turns 30 in December. Hopkins will be 32 in June. There were only 13 receivers age 29 or older who amassed 600-plus receiving yards last season — now the Titans have three of them.

If the plan is to thrive in the short term, age shouldn't really matter. Production isn't an issue when the Titans' new big three caught 218 passes last season. Health isn't much of a concern, either; Ridley, Hopkins and Boyd have been put on injured reserve a combined three times in 24 pro seasons. And the age cliff for receivers comes markedly later than running backs. There were twice as many 30-year-old receivers with 1,000 yards last season as there were 30-year-old running backs with even 100 yards.

The moral of the story: There aren't that many older receivers built to thrive. The fact that the Titans have three of them isn't a great sign for sustained success, but these players' individual track records are enough to say with confidence that they're all capable of producing in 2024 at least.

Where do Titans receivers rank among NFL's best trios?

In ESPN analyst Mike Clay's statistical forecast for the 2024 season, there are only eight teams that have three receivers projected to put up more yards than Boyd had (667) in 2023. Four of those eight teams include a rookie in their big three, making them less safe projections.

Ridley, Hopkins and Boyd combined for 2,740 yards last season. Clay projects only five teams to have three receivers combine for that level of production: Houston, Miami, the Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati and Seattle.

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There's an obvious connection between receiver production and quarterback success, so Levis is going to have to prove he can play at an above-average level for the trio to justify the hype. But based on these projections and the track records of the three receivers, there's no reason the Titans can't have a top-10 trio, bordering on top five.

What does this mean for Treylon Burks?

Short answer: It's not a great sign. Burks' first two pro seasons have been derailed by injuries, and he hasn't been particularly productive when he has been on the field. New Titans coach Brian Callahan raved during a radio interview after the NFL draft about how impressed he has been with Burks. But adding Boyd certainly puts a dent in Burks' share of reps.

Burks has two more years plus a fifth-year option on his rookie contract. With Boyd and Hopkins on short-term deals, there's value in keeping Burks around and trying to develop him. Maybe taking the pressure of having to be a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver off Burks allows him to flash his first-round potential. Maybe some improved injury luck allows him to emerge organically.

But the realistic conclusion is the Titans signed Boyd because they believed they needed immediate, proven consistency from their No. 3 receiver. Burks isn't that. He'll have an uphill climb to earn reps in base, three-receiver sets and factor into the Titans' offensive plans in any meaningful way.

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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How wide receiver Tyler Boyd will help Tennessee Titans and Will Levis