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          Bengals' Jermaine Burton out vs. Steelers by coach's decision

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterJan 4, 2025, 10:58 AM ET
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          PITTSBURGH -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will miss Saturday's key contest against the Steelers.

          According to the team, Burton was left in Cincinnati because of a coach's decision. The rookie had been the team's primary kick returner over the past seven games. The Bengals must win Saturday to preserve their chance at a playoff berth.

          This is the latest misstep for the team's third-round pick out of Alabama. Earlier this year, Burton was a healthy scratch for a Week 9 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. With starting wide receiver Tee Higgins out for that contest, Burton was expected to have a significant role in the game plan.

          Sources told ESPN that Burton did not play after he missed a walk-through the day before the game. After that game, Bengals coach Zac Taylor explained the rationale for the decision.

          "As the week unfolded, there was a lot of positive things people were saying about him," Taylor said Nov. 3. "It was all true. And then late in the week ... we've just got to handle business the right way. And so, I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but it was absolutely the right decision with all the information we had."

          When the Bengals drafted Burton, Taylor was asked about concerns when adding the rookie who transferred to Alabama from Georgia.

          "There's certainly maturity things that come with some of these guys coming out of these colleges, and that's one of the things he'll continue to grow with," Taylor said in April.

          In addition to the coach's decision, Hamilton County (Ohio) court records show Burton is facing a lawsuit from his landlord and an eviction notice from his apartment, which is located 0.1 miles from Paycor Stadium, where the Bengals train and play.

          Burton had drawn praise as recently as last week. Higgins lauded the rookie for uplifting him following a fumble against the Denver Broncos. Burton told Higgins to brush off the error and prepare for a potential game-winning touchdown. Higgins eventually caught the walk-off score in a 30-24 overtime win.

          In 14 games this season, Burton has caught four passes for 107 yards. On special teams, he is 10th in the league with 29.1 yards per kickoff return.