They need to get more out of these guys.
It came a little later than expected, but third-round wide receiver Jermaine Burton was heavily involved in the Cincinnati Bengals’ game plan vs. the Baltimore Ravens. He played on about half of the offensive snaps and was targeted five times.
Unfortunately, he only hauled in one of those catches for 11 yards. He was targeted twice on 4th and short deep balls, but Joe Burrow was not able to connect with him on either. Still, this shows that Burrow has the belief in Burton that many in the fan base share. The wait for the breakout continues.
Defensive tackles Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson saw an uptick in their stats a week ago, but they dipped back down this week. With veterans BJ Hill and Sheldon Rankins taking the majority of snaps, second-round pick Jenkins played only 21 snaps on defense and made two tackles, while third-round pick Jackson was out there for a mere 12 reps.
The struggling Bengals could use a lot more than they are currently getting from Day 2 picks Jenkins, Burton, and Jackson.
The injury to fourth-round pick Erick All was expected to create an opportunity for fellow tight end Tanner McLachlan to be active for the first time. However, the sixth-round tight end took a backseat to undrafted free agent Cam Grandy, who played only a few snaps but made a key block on Chase Brown’s touchdown run.
Fifth-round cornerback Josh Newton played 19 snaps on defense and made one tackle. He seems to have carved out a nice role for himself on defense and is getting more looks all the time.
The first and last pick of the Bengals draft were on the offensive line. First-round pick Amarius Mims took every snap on Thursday, while seventh-round pick Matt Lee took one as an extra lineman on the goal line. Without Orlando Brown, Mims looks like the best lineman on the field. He had his ups and downs against a talented Ravens defensive front but continues to add value to the Bengals offense.
Sixth-round safety Daijahn Anthony didn’t see any action on defense but did play six snaps of special teams. This is good for Anthony, who sometimes sees no action at all.
UDFA Maema Njongmeta continues to be one of the team’s top special teams contributors, playing 24 snaps on Thursday night. UDFA punter Ryan Rehkow didn’t have a crazy average, but he did pin the Ravens inside their own 20 on two of his three boots.