'Nobody is Going to Baby You Anymore' - Joe Burrow, Other Bengals React to Jermaine Burton Being Inactive

The Bengals beat the Raiders 41-24. Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton was inactive.

Jermaine Burton was inactive on Sunday. / © Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was inactive on Sunday.

We shared the exclusive report about his situation involving a missed walkthrough on Saturday.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor shared his thoughts on Burton's actions after the game.

What did his teammates think?

"Jermaine is going to be a great player. You just have to do the little things right," Joe Burrow said. "He’s a guy that has a demeanor that you like. You like his energy. He practices hard. He has a chance.”

Will he take advantage of his chance? He didn't this week. Burton was heavily involved in the game plan.

The 23-year-old was a no-call, no-show for Saturday's walkthrough, league sources said. That led to him being inactive on Sunday.

"When you get to this point in your career you gotta grow up. You're a grown man. Nobody is going to baby you anymore," Mike Hilton said. "We know how talented he is and how much he can help, but he has to grow up and just mature and realize he's gotta put the team over himself."

Burton has been a healthy inactive twice this season. The Bengals picked him in the third round (80th overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft.

"It's a special situation," Sam Hubbard said after the game. "Me personally, I just want to make sure he's all right, see if there is anything I can do to help him. Be there for him if something comes up. Young guys, sometimes they just need someone to be on their side and help them through this. Because you never know what people are going through. I think that this organization is a great place to be for guys that just need a way to learn how to be a pro."

The Bengals' coaching staff scrapped their plan involving Burton and it worked. They hit the 40-point mark for the first time this season in their 41-24 win over the Raiders.

"The coaches did a great job," Trenton Irwin said. "They've been able to be flexible. And I know they've been putting some late hours in at the last minute because of injuries and whatnot. They do a great job of that."

This is the third time this season the offensive staff has had to make significant changes to their game plan late in the week.

Tee Higgins suffered a hamstring injury on the Friday before the season opener. He had a quad issue on the Friday before the Eagles game in Week 8 and this Burton situation happened on Saturday.

"We have the guys that can kind of move around," Andrei Iosivas said. "Ja'Marr's been in the offense for a long time, I understand the offense, the tight ends are really smart. Of course you'd want to go through the week without having that little speed bump, but it doesn't really affect us."

Taylor said the team didn't plan on any future discipline after Burton's walkthrough debacle. It's gut check time for a rookie that has talent, but needs to do the right things—both on and off the field.

"He's a rookie so some things you kinda expect, but that's the thing about this business," Hilton said. "We can't be worried about the next man. We can only worry about the guys that's here and locked in."

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