Embattled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton might not be long for the team this offseason if certain things don’t fall into place quickly.
That much seems clear based on comments made by Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin at the Senior Bowl this week during a conversation with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.
There, Tobin was brutally blunt in his assessment of Burton’s outlook when asked about the wideout’s spot on the roster.
“He’s done nothing, and he’s going to have to start doing something quickly,” Tobin told Conway. “We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he’s had in the past, and we’re going to continue to try to help him. But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you’re playing for, and he has to figure that out. He’s got to figure that out fast…. We’re giving him the resources he needs to get to those rewards, but at the end of the day, you can’t want it more for somebody than they want it for themselves. And we’re hoping that Jermaine figures that out.”
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He’s done nothing (to deserve a roster spot) is scathing. It doesn’t matter much that Tobin massaged the commentary by praising Burton’s talent and admitting the red flags risk that came with taking him last year.
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.
In January, after reportedly being served an eviction notice, the Bengals responded to allegations leveled against Burton dug up from police reports pertaining to an alleged assault involving him.
Tobin’s commentary, then, just seems to reaffirm what fans can already guess, given the path traveled to this point.
