Jermaine Burton had a rough rookie season. There's no way around it. The Alabama product simply didn't live up to expectations after Cincinnati selected him in the third round (80th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Burton struggled to get on the field. and he wasn't especially productive when he did as he had just four receptions for 107 yards on the season. Unfortunately, off-field issues overshadowed anything he did on the field, which was a concern for the receiver coming out of college.
He was benched for Cincinnati's Week 9 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders after missing a practice. Afterwards, veteran cornerback Mike Hilton called Burton out for immaturity. Burton was also accused of assault earlier this month. So again, not the best start to his professional career for Burton.
Duke Tobin says Jermaine Burton has done 'nothing' to deserve a roster spot
The Bengals had hoped that Burton would establish himself as an integral piece of the offense, and a potential replacement for Tee Higgins should the star receiver leave in free agency this offseason. That hasn't happened though, and Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin made it clear that the organization needs to see much more from him moving forward.
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"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, via the Cincinnati Enquirer. "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.
"He's got to figure that out fast," Tobin added. "He's a very talented player, and we knew that there were risks in taking him. We knew there were rewards in taking him. We know what both of those are. We're hoping for the rewards. We're giving him the resources he needs to get to those rewards, but at the end of the day, you can't want it more for somebody than they want it for themselves. And we're hoping that Jermaine figures that out."
That's about as blunt as you'll ever hear an executive be when it comes to talking about a player on the roster. It's clear that Tobin -- and the Bengals as a whole -- were disappointed with Burton both on and off the field during his rookie campaign. The team doesn't plan to part ways with him at this point, but it's pretty clear that he's on thin ice moving forward.
Hopefully he can get the help he needs, because if Burton is unable to make the necessary changes and improvements that the Bengals want to see from him moving forward, he won't last long in Cincinnati.