Bengals fans will love Jermaine Burton's message after his preseason debut

Jermaine Burton had to wait until the second half to see the field during his first game in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform, but when he got out there, he made sure to put on a show.

Burton stole the show in the fourth quarter of the contest, grabbing three balls for 82 yards and an impressive touchdown catch -- complete with a snow angel-themed celebration -- in Cincinnati's 17-14 loss to Tampa Bay. It was an encouraging performance from a player facing some pretty high expectations.

Bengals fans will love what Burton had to say after his impressive debut

After the game, Burton revealed his mindset heading into his first game as a Bengal, and fans in Cincinnati will love what he had to say.

“I’m here for a reason. They drafted me for a reason," Burton said. "And I just wanted to show that they didn’t make a mistake in drafting me as early as a lot of other teams would’ve.”

That's an excellent attitude for Burton to have in preseason play, and it's one that he should carry into the regular season -- and throughout the rest of his career, honestly.

Being drafted immediately provides a player with two new motivators: Proving the team(s) that passed on them wrong, and proving the team that drafted them right. It seems like Burton is already tapping into the latter source of motivation early in his career.

The rookie receiver obviously still has work to do. The fact that he didn't enter the game against Tampa Bay until the second half shows that he's probably a bit down on the depth chart at this point in time. That could change, but it will take consistent, positive performances from Burton both in practice and in the team's remaining exhibitions.

Over the final two preseason games, Cincinnati's coaching staff would be wise to get Burton some reps with the first or second-string offense -- and against first or second-string defense -- in order to see how he looks in that situation. After how well he played in his first game, he warrants some more opportunity.