Jermaine Burton is firmly on the roster bubble, but it sounds like the Bengals aren’t cutting bait quite yet.
The Cincinnati Bengals took a chance on Jermaine Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite his obvious talent, Burton had character concerns that drove him down on and removed him completely from some team’s draft boards.
The Bengals took a chance, and at least in his rookie year, it did not pay off. Burton finished his rookie campaign with just four catches for 107 yards and no touchdowns. His rookie season also included two healthy scratches, one for missing a team walkthrough.
After the season, Burton was accused of assaulting a woman, but no criminal charges were filed. That led to many wondering if Burton was going to be cut now, but that hasn’t happened.
When speaking to Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin made it very clear where Burton stands heading into the 2025 season.
“He’s done nothing, and he’s going to have to start doing something quickly,” Tobin said after being asked what Burton has done to earn a spot on the 2025 roster. “We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he’s had in the past, and we’re going to continue to try to help him.”
A pretty clear message that Burton is very much on the roster bubble as the team looks toward getting back to postseason play in 2025. Reports say that the walkthrough wasn’t the only time Burton was absent from team activities.
Tobin did say that the Bengals are trying to support Burton, but this mostly lands on the former Alabama Crimson Tide star to make it work.
“This is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you’re playing for, and he has to figure that out,” Tobin said. “He’s got to figure that out fast. He’s a very talented player, and we knew that there were risks in taking him. We knew there were rewards in taking him. We know what both of those are. We’re hoping for the rewards. We’re giving him the resources he needs to get to those rewards, but at the end of the day, you can’t want it more for somebody than they want it for themselves. And we’re hoping that Jermaine figures that out.”
It definitely sounds like Burton will get a shot to redeem himself this offseason and remain on the roster going into training camp, but the Bengals clearly aren’t making any guarantees.