Thomas Sirk dreams NFL dreams. But maybe not at quarterback
In between recovering from three ruptured Achilles tendon injuries, Thomas Sirk played three seasons of college football.
He quarterbacked Duke to a Pinstripe Bowl win after one of them in 2015. He completed his career at East Carolina last fall.
His college odyssey completed, Sirk is taking on another challenge in his quest to play professional football.
In addition to showing NFL scouts what he can do as a quarterback, he’s also working out as a tight end.
Now 235 pounds, the 6-4 Sirk ran pass routes, catching balls thrown by his former Duke teammate Anthony Boone, during Duke’s pro timing day Tuesday at the Pascal Field House indoor facility.
“Today I focused on H-back, which is like a tight end, flex position,” Sirk said. “I tried to open myself up to running routes and opened myself up to playing special teams in the league.”
While it seems a long shot for Sirk to make the NFL at a new position, such a thing is not unheard of. He hopes to follow in Trey Burton’s path.
A dual-threat quarterback when he began his college career at Florida in 2010, Burton played running back, wide receiver and tight end in addition to quarterback with the Gators.
After going undrafted. he entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and made the Philadelphia Eagles roster.
He made the NFL’s all-rookie team as a special teams player and over the next three seasons began seeing more playing time on offense at H-back. In the Eagles’ Super Bowl 52 win over New England last February, Burton threw a touchdown pass on a trick play.
On March 14, he signed a four-year, $32 million free agent deal with the Chicago Bears.
Sirk hopes for similar chance.
“He’s had a good winter of workouts,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “I’m just praying that he gets that right opportunity. Sometimes, as we all know, it’s a matter of where you get the opportunity as to whether it’s going to work or not.”
Sirk was a wide receiver as a high school junior when Cutcliffe and his staff began recruiting him to Duke.
He redshirted in 2012 and missed the 2013 season with his first ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He backed up Boone at quarterback in 2014 before taking over the starting job in 2015, when he threw for 16 touchdowns and ran for eight more.
In Duke’s 44-41 overtime win over Indiana in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl at New York’s Yankee Stadium, Sirk rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns while also throwing for 163 yards and a touchdown.
But Sirk suffered two more ruptured Achilles tendon injuries in February and August 2016, causing him to miss the 2016 season.
The NCAA granted him a sixth season of eligibility and he played at East Carolina last season as a graduate transfer. In 11 games, he threw for nine touchdowns and ran for three more for the Pirates.
He returned to Duke for his workouts in preparation for the NFL Draft although he threw passes for NFL scouts at ECU’s pro day last Thursday in Greenville.
While at Duke, he’s reunited with Washington Redskins wide receiver Jamison Crowder, his former teammate with the Blue Devils. They’ve worked out together, both in the weight room and on the practice field.
“I know it’s been a long road for him,” Crowder said. “I ran some routes with him last week. He threw some passes and ran some routes. For him to not have much experience at tight end he didn’t look bad. If he just continues to work on his craft and continues to learn the lingo that goes with tight end, I think he can have success at the next level.”
Success on Tuesday was getting through his work for scouts healthy. Sirk, now 15 pounds heavier than when he played at ECU, accomplished that.
“I wanted to show I can get through the full workout,” Sirk said. “Every drill. I told the scouts that I was healthy and I’m doing every drill -- the 40, L drill, pro agility, running routes. My body feels good. I’m in shape. I feel great about that day.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 7:11 PM with the headline "Thomas Sirk dreams NFL dreams. But maybe not at quarterback."