Duke Tobin sends a firm message to Jermaine Burton following disappointing rookie season
2025 is going to be a make or break year for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton. The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of last year's NFL Draft despite other teams removing him from their boards. Those teams look wise in retrospect after a rookie season in which the number of games Burton […]
2025 is going to be a make or break year for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton.
The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of last year's NFL Draft despite other teams removing him from their boards. Those teams look wise in retrospect after a rookie season in which the number of games Burton was held out of due to a coach's decision (2) nearly matched the number of passes he caught (4).
Burton's troubles off the field greatly impacted his lack of production on the field. He was revealed to be involved in a reported assault that took place last month, days before he was told he wouldn't be traveling with the team for their regular season finale. This came weeks after Burton missed a walkthrough prior to the team's Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, which led to him missing that game entirely.
If Burton is to stick around this offseason, all of that needs to change if he wants to have a role on this team going forward. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin has officially made this very clear.
Duke Tobin drops the hammer on Jermaine Burton
The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway asked Tobin this week what Burton has done to deserve a roster spot. Tobin's response was as blunt as it gets.
"He's done nothing, and he's going to have to start doing something quickly," Tobin said. "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. But 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. He's got to figure that out fast."
That's about as open and honest as Tobin will ever be about a recent draft pick of his. He essentially challenged him to turn things around, quite literally, quickly.
The Bengals did take an obvious risk with Burton because of the upside he presented, but that upside can't be realized until he accepts the responsibility Tobin laid out for him.
"He's a very talented player, and we knew that there were risks in taking them," Tobin said. "We knew there were rewards in taking them. 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."
The Bengals will give Burton a chance to redeem himself, but those opportunities don't grow on trees. The clock will be ticking very fast for him to get his career headed in the right direction this year.
Jermaine Burton’s future with the Bengals has to come into question with his Week 18 plans now cancelled
Burton will not play in Cincinnati’s regular season finale.
