CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Bengals scratched Jermaine Burton on Sunday after the rookie receiver was expected to take on an expanded role in their game against Las Vegas.
It was unclear exactly why Burton was benched. Coach Zac Taylor described the decision as “a necessary step.”
“We just got to handle our business the right way, and so I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to make him inactive, but it was absolutely the right decision with all the information we had,” Taylor said after the Bengals' 41-24 victory.
“He’s a guy who’s going to have, I think, a really good career here, and we’re going to support him. And he wants to help us win and do things the right way."
With Tee Higgins sidelined by a quad injury, the 23-year-old Burton was in line for a bigger role in the matchup with the Raiders.
Burton has two catches for 88 yards in seven games in his first NFL season. He faced questions about his character and makeup before he was selected by Cincinnati in the third round of the draft, but Bengals coaches and teammates had spoken highly of his play and development of late.
Quarterback Joe Burrow said Burton's more experienced teammates will talk to him.
“We’ll have discussions, just like with any young player,” Burrow said. “You're going to try to help him along any way that you can. As he gets older, he'll understand things in a different way. He’s a young player right now.”
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