Those familiar with frozen water know that one place you don't want to be is on thin ice. You can go from thin ice to the dark depths of the cold lake below pretty quickly, and once you're down there, well, good luck. The metaphor isn't as dire when extended to football, but you get the point.
Here's a look at three Cincinnati Bengals players who could be on thin ice heading into the 2025 NFL season.
Cam Taylor-Britt, Cornerback
Cam Taylor-Britt is a somewhat polarizing player. He has some highs, but he also has some lows, and those lows led to him getting benched during the team's loss to the Chargers last season. Despite those struggles, Lou Anarumo continued to go back to Taylor-Britt, who has started in 38 of the 39 games he's appeared in to this point in his career.
But, Anarumo is gone, replaced by Al Golden, who doesn't have any particular loyalty to Taylor-Britt. Plus, the Bengals should have other options at the position, with Dax Hill and DJ Turner II both hopefully healthy, and some potential additions at the position in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Taylor-Britt only has one year remaining on his current contract, and the two sides could very well part next offseason. That fact should make it easier to move on from Taylor-Britt during the season if he doesn't play well early on. As a result, he'll likely be on thin ice.
Joseph Ossai, Defensive end
Joseph Ossai was largely underwhelming in 2024. Still, the Bengals brought him back on a one-year deal in free agency. But, they made no long-term investment in him, and could easily look in a different direction after the season if the fourth-year pro continues to underwhelm. So, he'll probably be skating on thin ice heading into the season.
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Cincinnati was probably hoping that Ossai would have developed into a solidified starter by now, but that just hasn't happened. Ossai has shown some flashes over the course of his three-year career, including recroding a career-high five sacks last season, but there hasn't been much consistency.
The Bengals will likely look to add an edge rusher, or two, in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, and they could still add one in free agency also. New faces could challenge Ossai for playing time if he starts slow under new defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Given their lack of long-term investment in him, Cincinnati's coaching staff probably won't have a ton of patience when it comes to Ossai in 2025.
Jermaine Burton, Wide receiver
Just one season into his professional career, Jermaine Burton is already on thin ice in Cincinnati, and deservedly so as the Alabama product had his fair share of struggles -- both on and off the field -- during his rookie season.
Burton struggled just to get on the field. When he was on the receiving end of on-field opportunity, he wasn't especially productive, as he recorded just four receptions for 107 yards and zero touchdowns on the campaign. Unfortunately, off-field issues overshadowed anything he did in between the lines, which was a concern for the receiver coming out of college. His off-field missteps even negatively impacted his on-field availability, which is something that no organization wants.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin sent a clear warning to Burton after the conclusion of his rookie campaign.
"He's done nothing, and he's going to have to start doing something quickly," Tobin replied when asked what Burton had done to deserve a roster spot moving forward. "We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he's had in the past, and we're going to continue to try to help him.
"But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you're playing for, and he has to figure that out."
That's about as clear as an executive can be. Burton is on extremely thin ice and he has to figure things out quickly or he won't last long in Cincinnati.