Bengals Rookie Jermaine Burton Gives His Thoughts on Reasons for His Slow Start, Growing Role

Jay Morrison | Oct 31, 2024

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton (81) makes a catch as Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr. (2) defends in the second quarter of the NFL game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – After everyone from head coach Zac Taylor to quarterback Joe Burrow to offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher spent time this week lauding his development, Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton spoke for himself today.

After playing just 25 snaps in the first seven games, Burton logged 24 in Sunday’s 37-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I've just been waiting my turn for my opportunity,” he said. “I just told myself whatever opportunity I get, I don't care when it is, just make the best of it.”

Tee Higgins coming down with a quad injury on Friday certainly played a role in Burton seeing more action, but it wasn’t the only reason.

Andrei Iosivas has struggled to make an impact beyond scramble drills, and Burton is going to start taking a portion of his snaps, even once Higgins is healthy.

How much he siphons off from Iosivas will depend on how he performs, and the reviews from Taylor and Pitcher were positive following Sunday, not just for his 41-yard reception but for the separation he was getting on routes when he wasn’t involved in the play.

Burton’s three targets not only were a career-high, they eclipsed his career total of two, both of which came in the Week 2 loss at Kansas City, when he had a 47-yard reception.

Sunday, his lone catch went for 41 yards.

Jermaine Burton
Vertical/Go

Hesi to freeze the corner, set the release angle & win with speed

Late combat to separate
"Punch the Pec" - @Coach_KCal pic.twitter.com/RVqeawE2JY

— Mike Vannucci (@WRCoachVannucci) October 30, 2024

The interesting part of what Taylor, Pitcher and Burrow said this week involved the things Burton, whom the Bengals took in the third round, has done well to earn more playing time – more attention to detail, understanding where to lineup, knowing what routes to run.

The mere mention of those based criteria suggests he wasn’t doing that through the first seven weeks, adding validity to some of the pre-draft knocks on someone many scouts viewed as a first-round talent.

Asked if he had any regrets about how he approached the first couple of months of the season, Burton did sound as though he does.

“I can’t put myself in the game,” he said. “Personally, I feel like I could have been making plays.”

The previous week in Cleveland, Taylor put Burton in the game for three snaps – three kneeldowns to kill the clock in the 21-14 win.

There seemed to be some intent behind that, and apparently the Bengals liked the way Burton responded last week in practice leading up the game against the Eagles.

Getting an endorsement from Burrow speaks volumes.

Burrow said the communication between a quarterback and young receiver is critical, and Burton gave some insight into what some of the conversations been like.

“He feels like I do a really good job naturally of getting open,” he said. “There's tweaks in our playbook, and he's genuinely like 'do you.' You do a good job of getting open, so you don't have to necessarily go about this like how the paper route is.

“He's gained a lot of confidence in me,” Burton continued. “He's been a great leader toward me, being more hands-on with me before practice or after practice, talking about this, talking about that. It's really been clarifying for me to be able to understand more.”

When did he notice that trust start to grow?

“I think he's trusted me in practice, but when it got to game time and made a couple big plays even when I wasn't getting the ball, getting open, getting separation, Joe likes that kind of stuff,” Burton said. “I think that's what got him.”

While Burton was talking to reporters, Ja'Marr Chase was holding his weekly news conference a few feet away.

Chase joined everyone else this week who has been praising the rookie from Alabama with a sprinkle of criticism.

"When he knows what he’s doing 100 percent, with confidence and other routes, he’ll be even more of a game changer," said Chase, who added that he was in a similar position as a rookie, trying to learn and remember everything.

Earning the confidence, and the positive reinforcement from wide receivers coach Troy Walters has been a longer process.

“He's been hard on me,” Burton said. ‘Don't get me wrong, he's an amazing coach. Like hilarious. But one thing he doesn't do is let me feel like I'm taking time off or anything like that. He stays on me every day. Every day he lets me know what the standard is of playing receiver here.

“And even when I do something good, he doesn't praise me like 'yeah, yeah, yeah, that's how it is.' It's just 'OK, do it again.'”

With more than half of his rookie season ahead of him and an increase in playing time expected, Burton said he’s looking forward to what’s next.

“I just want to show them why they drafted me and be the player they want me to be,” he said.

He said he feels one of his strengths is to be able to set up defenders, and he hasn’t been able to show that when he’s only getting a few snaps a game.

But it’s not just those types of things he does on the field he wants to focus on the next nine games.

“I look forward to doing a lot of things,” Burton said. “My main focus right now is just trying to be the best player I can be and day by day taking the little baby steps. Because when I started those baby steps are starting to come together, it made my confidence boost up a little higher. I'm enjoying the baby steps right now.”

What are the baby steps?

“Every day waking up,” he said. “As soon as you wake up, a baby step is getting out of bed to come here. Meetings. Everything. Just be where you're supposed to be on time, taking care of your body, eating right, everything. After a few months of eating right and changing your sleep schedule, you just start to feel better about things.”

Burton isn’t the only one feeling better about himself right now.

It feels as though the first eight games have been an extended ramp up period to how the Bengals plan to use him going forward.

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