This isn’t good.
The Cincinnati Bengals will be traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers without one of their rookies.
According to The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, head coach Zac Taylor has made the decision that wide receiver Jermaine Burton will not be traveling with the team and will be staying in Cincinnati.
This isn’t the first time the rookie has been a surprise inactive. He also missed the team’s Week 8 game against the Eagles after he reportedly missed a walkthrough. It has yet to be revealed why Taylor has made this decision, and we may never really know.
However, it is fairly clear, at this point, that Burton is who other teams feared he was when they decided not to select the talented wideout in the draft.
Even though Burton has flashed on the field when he has been given opportunities or when they were thrust upon him due to injuries, he hasn’t earned more playing time. In fact, he’s gotten less and less. He hasn’t been targeted in the passing game since Week 11, and outside of special teams, Burton hasn’t seen the field very much.
The Bengals are heading into another do-or-die scenario against the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road. It’s unfortunate that there’s a necessity to leave a teammate behind when everyone should be focused on what is basically a playoff game.
