Bengals rookie may not be trusted to start despite ending preseason with a bang

The Cincinnati Bengals are officially through with the 2024 preseason and all that awaits now is the team's comeback tour in the regular season. After a lackluster year that was tanked by a Joe Burrow injury, the Bengals once again have their sights set on the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

With the preseason in the rearview mirror, Bengals fans have much more clarity surrounding the position battles that Cincinnati entered training camp with. While the roster will continue being fluid throughout the season, fans at least have their immediate answers for what the roster will look like.

Not every roster battle ended in the best-case scenario, though, especially when it comes to young players. The Bengals drafted wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and in a perfect world, he would have slid in and replaced Tyler Boyd's production as the team's WR3.

However, it does not appear that Burton will have that kind of impact on the Bengals in his rookie season even though he finished the preseason on a strong note. In his latest 53-man roster projection, The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. outlined how second-year wideout Andre Iosivas will be the team's primary WR3 in 11 personnel (h/t Cincy Jungle).

"Iosivas will soak up the majority of snaps alongside Chase and Higgins in 11 personnel," Dehner wrote. "As for Burton, don’t expect him to contribute anytime soon. They have tried him out at returner to see whether he can carve out a role there but gave way to Jones on Thursday. There’s just not enough trust in Burton right now to put him on the field with Burrow. He needs more time to build that in the coming months."

Bengals don't trust Jermaine Burton to be a starting WR for Joe Burrow

Draft picks are long-term commitments and not everyone is going to burst onto the scene and be an instant game-changer like Ja'Marr Chase. However, it still isn't the best look in the world to draft a wideout in the third round and then end up not trusting him to be a starter just four months later.

However, it is worth noting that Burton was viewed as a bit of reach when he was taken in the third round. Pre-draft evaluations tabbed him as a fifth-round prospect and while that is not the end-all-be-all, it is important context as Burton fails to earn a starting nod.

On the flip side, this is a great opportunity for the second-year wide receiver out of Princeton. Iosivas was drafted by the Bengals in the sixth round in 2023 and showed flashes of his potential in his rookie season. While he only hauled in 15 catches for 116 yards, the six-foot-three receiver did end up with four touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

Iosivas may not be a direct replacement for Boyd stylistically but he can give Burrow a big-bodied target in short-yardage and redzone situations. Hopefully, for the sake of the team's future, Burton can also develop into the receiver the Bengals drafted him to be.