Going into the week 9 clash against the Raiders, rookie Jermaine Burton was supposed to play a key role on Sunday. However, him not showing up for practice on Saturday didn’t bode well for the Bengals. As calls were made for the situation to be addressed after the game. His surprise exclusion from today’s clash in Cincinnati came as a big shock, considering there aren’t any injuries involved.

Even for the Bengals, his absence has put them in a precarious position. With Tee Higgins and Charlie Jones already out, Burton was going to be the man Joe Burrow would have targeted. His two receptions last week against the Eagles even led to Burrow praising the 23-year-old, “He’s gotten exponentially better over the last three weeks, I would say. He’s going to continue to carve out his role and continue to have good practices. The more he does that and the more he learns, the more you are going to see him.”

Well, the Bengals third-round pick could have made a strong case for himself against the Raiders this week. As Andrei Iosivas has struggled to contribute, with only 4 receptions in the last 5 games this season. The Bengals also had to make significant last-minute changes in their game plan as Burton was set to start in Cincinnati. Without him, the Bengals would have to rely upon Iosivas and Mike Gesicki to help Burrow in the offense.

Apart from those two receptions against the Eagles, Burton also ran 18 routes last week. Him missing today’s clash also led to the fans expressing their frustrations with Burton.

Fans question Jermaine Burton’s commitment after missing Raiders clash

If not for Darius Slay’s last-second interception, Burton would have had his first career TD last Sunday. His contributions against the Eagles not only earned him praises from Burrow but also head coach Zac Taylor, “Jermaine made a great play on a go-route and stepped up, so there’s more that he can continue to do as well to help us. We always love to have Tee out there, because he makes a lot of big plays for us. But I think we’re starting to see other guys step up as well.” 

While Taylor and Burrow expressed their desire to have Burton play more snaps next week. His absence led to the fans calling the 22-year-old on X, “This is squarely on Jermaine Burton. Joe Burrow praised him midweek and said it’s a must-win game. Zac Taylor talked about growing confidence in Burton after Friday’s walkthrough. For a third-round WR not to be in a position to be active for a game like today is mind-blowing.”

One of the fans also pointed out possible changes for the Bengals while drafting players in the future, “The biggest fear with the Jermaine Burton situation is that the Bengals will double down on character and team captains when drafting. This is not a strategy that has worked.” Well, those reactions didn’t stop there as another fan called Burton’s absence inexcusable: “Inexcusable, silly for Jermaine Burton. You can’t throw away a chance to link up with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in a game that could make or break the season (and you can be the Tee Higgins replacement)”

Right now, Burton is far away from replacing Tee Higgins on the Bengals’ offense, as the team looks to salvage their season, taking on the Raiders. While we don’t know the possible reason behind his sudden inactivity status. Moving forward, we might get some updates from the Bengals camp.