Bengals rookie Jermaine Burton on his ‘mistake’ and building trust with Joe Burrow

Bengals rookie wide receiver Jermaine Burton hasn’t had a smooth transition to the NFL.

The 23-year-old has two receptions this season, including a 41-yarder against the Eagles in Week 8. He appeared to be on the rise, receiving praise from Joe Burrow.

“Jermaine will be a good player,” Burrow said. “It continues to be open, and we’re going to continue to have that dialogue that running backs and receivers have to have.”

The Bengals have made Burton a big part of the game plan ahead of a must-win game against the Raiders in Week 9. They knew Tee Higgins was out with a quad injury, so the timing seemed right for a third-round pick. .

The the newcomer replied that it was not a call, not a show for the Bengals must-see Saturday morning.

That forced Zach Taylor to make him inactive for the game, a decision that was made about 24 hours before the game started.

Then the Bengals beat the Raiders. Despite putting Burton out of action, Taylor certainly left the door open for the rookie to make amends after the win.

Burton played a season-high 39 snaps just four days later in Thursday Night Football against the Ravens. He caught one pass on five targets for 11 yards.

In a personal interview with BengalsTalk.com on Wednesday He credits the tight-knit wide receiver room for helping him grow and overcome the challenge.

“The mistake I made, those guys were so good at keeping my head right,” Burton said. “When you make certain mistakes, it’s like, ‘Ah, Ah, that’s putting you down.’ You still have to move on and get better, know that there are better days ahead and luckily I have guys like me around me who keep my head away from everything else, like the media and all that, so I feel himself as everything is good.”

In Burton’s opinion, there is a sense of remorse and a determination to circumvent this problem.

“Things are going to happen, you’re going to mess up, and everyone makes mistakes,” Burton said. “As long as you can get up the next day and still give it your best shot, I don’t think it matters. I think you’ll be in a good place.”

As a kid who played at three different high schools and transferred from Georgia to Alabama in college, his connection with the coaches directly influenced his approach to the game.

Burton’s eyes lit up when the conversation turned to Bengals receivers coach Troy Walters.

“I think I’ve changed my game dramatically because of Troy Walters being such a hands-on coach,” Burton said. “It’s great to have a receivers coach like that who is so active with you, and even though he’s open, he makes me more comfortable and less afraid to make a mistake and fix it. It’s holding on to me and getting hard, and I feel like that’s why I’ve made such a drastic change. And also being around guys like Tee (Higgins), Ja’Marr (Chase) and guys like TEE (Trenton Irvin) who have been in it and have so much experience. I feel like all those guys made me change.”

The young receiver seemed enthusiastic about his developing relationship with Barrow. Earning the trust of your quarterback is crucial, especially with Burrow’s pass-first offense.

“Really great, motivational, positive and letting each other know what we feel we both did well in a certain game and what we can fix,” Burton said. “Overall, I feel like Joe (Barrow) and I have improved our relationship over the last few weeks.”

After the setback, they are building confidence before Cincinnati’s Week 11 trip to Los Angeles on Sunday Night Football.

His bond with his teammates and coaches has turned into a new motivation to push himself and stay on track going forward.

“It makes you work harder, it makes you put smiles on the faces of these coaches because you see how much they trust you, you see when they start to trust you, and only you can see when exactly they start,” said Burton. “It’s a bittersweet feeling that these guys really want to see you win, see you succeed, so you want to make them happy, and so you just keep working, keep working, day after day, day after day.” .

with Higgins is listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s practicethere’s no guarantee the team will have him in a game that could essentially decide the fate of the season.

According to NFL.com, a loss on Sunday night would drop Cincinnati’s playoff chances to a dismal 16%. A win would increase them to 42%.

The The Bengals are off on Fridaywhich is one day earlier than usual in hopes of acclimatization and comfort ahead of the prime-time match.

“That’s the one you’ll be there in two days” – said Taylor. “So we feel good about the considerations. And it’s going to be good team chemistry to go out there and spend some time together and then play a 5:30 kickoff on Sunday night.”

Burton knows how important this game is to the Bengals’ season.

“Everybody pretty much knows our potential, and so do the people in that locker room,” Burton said. “We know what we’re capable of and we know we’re a really great team. It’s all about making sure you know when things aren’t going your way, how you’re going astray, doing something different, or not sticking to the path, which day in and day out (post) work, work, work is the only way we can change, and that’s the only way we can make a difference is to just come in every day, every day, and do the same thing.”

Burrow leads the NFL with 2,672 passing yards. If Burton can step up, it could help take Cincinnati’s offense to new heights, especially with Ja’Marr Chase playing at an elite level and Higgins on the mend.

“The last few weeks have been crazy preparation that I’ve seen from everyone. Like I’ve seen some guys do things that I’m like, “Okay, like it’s locked, like it’s really locked.” I feel like if everyone keeps it up, we’ll be fine.”

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