There’s no hiding it, really. In November, when Tee Higgins was out and he was potentially a big part of the game plan, Burton reportedly no-showed a Saturday walkthrough and got publicly blasted by his teammates for it. He spent most of the season just attempting to make an impact on special teams.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton. The Bengals selected Burton in the third round of last year's NFL Draft despite other teams removing him from their boards. Those teams look wise in retrospect after a rookie season in which the number of games Burton was held out of due to a coach's decision (2) nearly matched the number of passes he caught (4).

The Bengals used a third-round pick on WR Jermaine Burton in last year’s draft for depth and an insurance policy with WRs Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase needing new deals.