Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Jermaine Burton looking to put tumultuous rookie season behind him

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 18, 2025 11:42 AM ET

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati's regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day's highlighted player.

81 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, and No. 81 Jermaine Burton has much to prove entering his second season.

Jermaine Burton

Age: 23
Year: 2nd
Position: Wide receiver
College: Alabama
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 81

Burton is entering his second year with the Bengals after being drafted 80th overall in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He played two seasons at Alabama and spent the previous two years at Georgia. He led the SEC with an average of 20.5 yards per reception in 2023 as Bama's leading receiver, catching 39 receptions for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. He was second in receiving yards (497) for the 2021 Georgia team that won the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Burton fell to the third round not due to talent and ability, but reliability and character. He exited both of his college programs with major questions including a postgame incident for everyone to see. Some teams had taken him off their draft boards entirely. Cincinnati took a swing on him in the middle of the third round and experienced some of the league's worries come to life.

A promising preseason from Burton did not translate to regular season success as the rookie only managed four receptions on 14 targets for 107 yards in 14 games played. He was set to start in Week 9 against the Las Vegas Raiders and he failed to show up for Saturday's walkthrough, leading Zac Taylor to sideline him entirely as a healthy inactive. Off-field issues for Burton popped up late in the season and the Bengals travelled for their Week 18 game without him. Between these points on the timeline, Burton did find a role as the team's kickoff returner, averaging 29.1 yards per return on 13 attempts.

Contract Details

Burton is in the second year of his four-year, $5,820,896 rookie contract. He will earn a base salary of $1,059,586 for the 2025 season, which also represents his total cash earnings for the year.

When adding on his signing bonus proration of $263,345, Burton's salary cap hit for the season will be $1,322,931.

Roster Outlook

Is there another third-round pick from last year's draft under more pressure than Burton? Director of player personnel Duke Tobin applied said pressure back in January. It's not about becoming a starter or lighting up the stat sheet, but simply stacking good days into good weeks into good months to stay in good graces with the coaching staff. Simply put: Burton needs to avoid the mistakes he continued making as a rookie from his college days.

All signs point to Burton being on the right track. The soon-to-be 24-year old has been a constant presence in the facility this offseason and has credited fellow wideouts Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and even defensive tackle B.J. Hill for helping him stay on course.

Optimism for Burton this time last year as well, and we saw how his rookie year unfolded. The benefit of the doubt has shrunk dramatically this year. Staying out of trouble from Monday-Saturday will keep him on the team, but another slip up could be his last in Cincinnati.

Projected role: Reserve wide receiver