Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor kept it short and sweet when talking about the punishment for rookie receiver Jermaine Burton after the team’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Taylor confirmed prior reports that Burton had been a big part of Sunday’s game plan before the rookie didn’t handle things near the end of the week well.
In doing so, Taylor stressed that no further punishment for Burton is expected and that they still anticipate him getting right and having a big role in the future: “We have to handle all our business in the right way.”
Taylor noted that Burton wants to help the team win and that they intend to do everything possible to make sure he succeeds. But he also stressed that it was “absolutely the right decision” to make Burton inactive, too.
Prior reporting said that Burton missed Saturday’s pregame walkthrough despite being a big part of the gameplan with Tee Higgins out. It was a stunning revelation, considering the size of the occasion for a rookie in Joe Burrow’s offense, never mind the long-term outlook if Higgins leaves in free agency next summer.
For now, it’s likely all fans will get from the team as Burton continues to attempt to overcome the red flags from the pre-draft process.
