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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has a new, dynamic weapon he's excited about even despite the lopsided loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Burrow and the Bengals took a 37-17 home beatdown at Paycor Stadium Sunday. But not without raving about unheralded newcomer Jermaine Burton. The All-Pro quarterback has taken a liking to the rookie, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.
“Joe Burrow with some positive words about how Jermaine Burton played. Said will keep dialogue going to help him along. That sure feels like foreshadowing to some of what we might see the second half of the season,” Dehner Jr. wrote.
Burrow's Burton perspective comes on an afternoon when he admitted “we're not good enough.” The Eagles dropped Burrow's Bengals to 3-5 overall. Burton, though, emerged with one of the few explosive plays on the Bengals' side.
Burton drew one-on-one coverage against veteran Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay Jr. He turned to use his inside arm, fighting off Slay deep. He comfortably hauled the Burrow lob in to complete the 41-yard reception.
Jermaine Burton has endured quiet NFL debut
Burton impressed during what's been a quiet start for the prized rookie.
Sunday marked only the second time Burton caught a pass during a live NFL game. He last caught a pass on Sept. 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He hasn't been targeted in the other five games he's played.
Burton isn't just part of a loaded wide receiver room featuring All-Pro Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bengals placed him on their “inactive” list not long ago. Head coach Zac Taylor even delivered some stirring words after the Oct. 13 win over the New York Giants on why Burton earned the status.
“Nothing to read into that,” Taylor said after the Giants win. “That was just a week-to-week decision we made based on some other things that could potentially happen just with the game plan stuff. But he’s done a great job. He keeps approaching it the right way. But we’ve got a lot of confidence growing with him. So, that’s just a this week thing. We’ll continue to make those decisions as we go along. There’s nothing to read into.”
Yet this is Top 100 draft prospect Taylor spoke about. Cincinnati took him No. 80 overall out of WR hot bed Alabama. Burton earning limited reps became perplexing to the Bengals fans and league.
Burton, though, needed only one play to win the confidence of Burrow. The QB assures Burton has a bright future in the league.
“I think Jermaine is going to be a good player. He continues to get open,” Burrow said. “I think he played well today.”
Burton joined eight other Bengals receivers who caught a pass from Burrow. Cincinnati still got bottled to 234 passing yards in the loss, which additionally snapped their two-game winning streak.
