Bengals OTAs: Ja'Marr Chase is the latest to notice what Cincinnati desperately needs to see from Jermaine Burton
The Cincinnati Bengals know what Ja'Marr Chase brings to the table. They're waiting on Jermaine Burton to prove the same.Chase was taking the top off SEC defenses when Burton was still deciding which powerhouse program in the conference he was going to play for. Chase's final season at LSU saw him average 21.2 yards per […]
The Cincinnati Bengals know what Ja'Marr Chase brings to the table. They're waiting on Jermaine Burton to prove the same.
Chase was taking the top off SEC defenses when Burton was still deciding which powerhouse program in the conference he was going to play for. Chase's final season at LSU saw him average 21.2 yards per reception. Burton averaged 20.5 in his last year at Alabama.
Both have been teammates for over a year, though the Bengals would like to move on quickly from Burton's first 12 months with the team. Chase is noticing the next 12 months could be noticeably better.
"He's getting better. Definitely improving," Chase recently said of Burton. "He's faster lining up. Playing with more speed. When you don't know what you're doing, you don't play as fast. He's playing a little faster now."
It's a tale old as time in the NFL. The game slows down for players entering their second year, and Burton should be no exception the more he acclimates himself with an offense that won't be much different than the one he entered last year.
Playing fast wasn't an issue for Burton in college, verified by a 4.45 40-yard dash time at last year's NFL Scouting Combine, but burning through SEC defensive backfields isn't the same as navigating against the best cornerbacks and safeties in the sport at the next level. Burton only caught four of his 14 targets as a rookie in 2024 as he never quite established as a receiver.
Burton's most notable contributions came as a kickoff returner, and with the new rules against touchbacks, one of his goals should be to recapture that role in his second year.
But Cincinnati didn't take a chance on Burton to return kickoffs. He'll ultimately be judged on becoming an ancillary receiver to Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas. The fourth wideout gig on the roster is completely up for grabs with Burton being one of the frontrunners.
Chase isn't the only player who's taken notice of Burton. Quarterback Joe Burrow also sees a difference in his approach.
“I think he’s stepped up this year so far, has taken it very seriously, and has matured, it seems like,” Burrow said during his first presser of offseason workouts. “That’s exciting to see. Based on the conversations we’ve had, he’s in a good spot mentally and physically.
Add head coach Zac Taylor to that list as well.
“All he can handle is the present at this point,” Taylor said of Burton last week. “I think he’s done a good job of that this offseason. He’s been in the building. He’s in the building outside of work hours doing his own thing and rehabbing to get his body right. He has attacked practice the right way, and that is what you can control right now, so I appreciate that much.”
There's much more of the offseason for Burton to get through, but early signs point to a more adjusted version of the former third-round pick this year. The Bengals' offense would certainly welcome him playing up to his maximum speed.
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