Joe Burrow says what Bengals fans are thinking regarding rookie WR Jermaine Burton's playing time
It's looking unlikely for the Cincinnati Bengals to add a player before this year's trade deadline, but the offense could be getting more out of a player they already have.Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton snagged his second-career reception last Sunday. He also ran more routes (17) in the game than he had ran the previous […]
It's looking unlikely for the Cincinnati Bengals to add a player before this year's trade deadline, but the offense could be getting more out of a player they already have.
Rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton snagged his second-career reception last Sunday. He also ran more routes (17) in the game than he had ran the previous seven weeks combined (15).
Combine that with Tee Higgins missing practice for the second consecutive week, and you have a recipe for Burton playing even more. His quarterback would agree with that.
Joe Burrow supports playing Jermaine Burton more often
Higgins' current quad injury opened the door for Burton to play a season-high 24 snaps. It's also allowed Burton to practice more in Higgins' role. Burrow has seen enough both inside of Paycor Stadium and outside on the practice fields to want Burton to have more opportunities.
"Yeah, we got to continue to get reps in practice," Burrow told reporters during his weekly presser. "You know, Tee [Higgins] has taken all those reps, so he hasn't had those all season, but the last two weeks of practice that he's had and stuff that he's put on tape warrants more playing time for him."
More JB and JB? It could be what this offense needs right now.
On top of a porous run game that ranks 31st in EPA/rush and 32nd in success rate since Week 4, Higgins' absence remains a hindrance to the passing game. The Bengals are 1-6 in their last seven games without him going back to last year. Outside of Ja'Marr Chase, no one has proven to be a reliable option with Higgins off the field.
There's no guarantee Burton is that, but there's no downside in finding out now.
Burrow may only have two completions to Burton thus far, but the tape he's putting out even when the ball isn't coming to him is worthy of praise.
"Yeah, he does the little things within the route to get open like a vet does," Burrow said. "You don't have to teach him to separate. He knows how to do that. You just have to teach him how to do it within the structure of offense. And that's the process that every rookie goes through. He's smart enough and willing to learn that he'll get to that point and he's gonna be really good player. I'm excited to be a part of it."
The Bengals took a notable risk drafting Burton in the third round of this year's NFL Draft. Burton had early-round talent with a questionable character profile. There's been nothing more than hints of that leaking into his rookie season, but his lack of playing time isn't the most encouraging thing in the world.
At this point, especially without Higgins, it's time to raise his involvement. The upside of him paying dividends instantly outweighs how much worse the results would be should he disappoint.
Besides, if the quarterback who ranks first in adjusted EPA/play thinks its a good idea, then it probably is.
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