Bengals’ Jermaine Burton out against Steelers due to coach’s decision

PITTSBURGH — Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton He did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh and will miss Saturday’s key game against the Steelers.

According to the team, Burton stayed in Cincinnati due to the coach’s decision. The rookie had been the team’s primary kick returner the past seven games. The Bengals must win on Saturday to preserve their playoff chances.

This is the latest misstep for the team’s third-round pick out of Alabama. Earlier this year, Burton was healthy for a Week 9 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. With starting wide receiver tee higgins Outside of that contest, Burton was expected to have a big role in the game plan.

However, multiple sources told ESPN that Burton did not play after missing a walk-through the day before the game. After that game, Bengals coach Zac Taylor explained the reason for the decision.

“As the week went on, there were a lot of positive things people were saying about him,” Taylor said on Nov. 3. “It was all true. And then at the end of the week… we just have to take care of business.” in the right way. And so, I can sit here and say it was a difficult decision to put it down, but it was absolutely the right decision with all the information we had.”

When the Bengals drafted Burton, Taylor was asked about his concerns in adding the rookie who transferred to Alabama from Georgia.

“There’s certainly maturity things that come with some of these guys coming out of these colleges, and that’s one of the things that he’s going to continue to grow with,” Taylor said last April.

In addition to the coach’s decision, Hamilton County (Ohio) court records show Burton is facing a lawsuit from his landlord and an eviction notice for his apartment, which is 0.1 mile from Paycor Stadium, where the Bengals train and play.

Burton had received praise last week. Higgins praised the rookie for cheering him up after a fumble against the Denver Broncos. Burton told Higgins to ignore the mistake and prepare for a potential game-winning touchdown. Higgins finally broke through in a 30-24 overtime victory.

In 14 games this season, Burton caught four passes for 107 yards. On special teams, he ranks 10th in the league with 29.1 yards per kickoff return.