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Bengals Bench Rookie Wide Receiver vs. Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton will not travel with the team to Pittsburgh for the team’s Week 18 game against the Steelers, the Bengals announced on Friday.
The Bengals announced Burton’s absence as a coach’s decison. Burton, the team’s third-round pick out of Alabama from the 2024 NFL Draft, has found himself in hot water with the club already.
Burton was a healthy scratch for the Bengals’ Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders after missing a walkthrough, despite there being an expectation that he would be a big part of the offensive game plan with Tee Higgins out with an injury.
In 14 games, Burton has been tagged 14 times, but has only caught four passes for 108 yards. He has not been targeted with a pass since Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers. That was Higgins’ first game back from a three-game injury absence.
With both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase in the final seasons of their contracts, the 6-foot, 200-pound Burton was expected to be groomed to be a big part of the future of the wide receiver position for the Bengals and quarterback Joe Burrow, but that has not materialized, despite plenty of opportunities.
The one area Burton has made an impact is on kick returns. He has averaged 29.1 yards per return on 13 kickoffs taken back so far this season.
Higgins (ankle/knee) and depth receiver Charlie Jones (groin) are both officially questionable to play for the Bengals on Saturday.
Slot receiver Andrei Iosivas and undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams are in line for more action with Burton out, and could see even more if Higgins is unable to play.
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