Cincinnati will be without receiver vs. Steelers

Clarity has followed Cincinnati’s young wideout all year, ever since he jumped on social media in August to stress that a prior practice absence was injury-related and nothing else, reiterating his commitment to the Bengals and to getting back as quickly as possible while continuing his development alongside the team’s veteran targets.

Ian Rapoport reported that Jermaine Burton has been downgraded to out with an illness for tomorrow’s divisional game against the Steelers, noting the change in status on X. With a tight margin for error in the AFC North, Cincinnati now has to adjust its receiver rotation on short notice.

The immediate ripple effect points to more work for the depth pieces behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Expect the Bengals to lean on spacing concepts and quick-game timing to keep the offense on schedule, with additional snaps likely for role players who can handle motion, stacks, and dirty-work routes that convert third downs. Illness-related downgrades often force special teams shuffles as well, so Cincinnati’s field position game becomes even more important against a defense that thrives on compressed fields.

Burton’s absence also trims some of the vertical stress Cincinnati can apply on the boundary. The staff may answer by featuring more bunch looks and crossers to manufacture free releases, while sprinkling in jet action to widen underneath defenders.

If the Bengals protect the ball and finish red-zone trips, they can still grind out a result in a game that usually turns on two or three plays.

The roster picture has taken hits elsewhere, too. Rookie edge Shemar Stewart was recently placed on injured reserve with a knee injury after a start-stop first season, thinning the rotation up front and putting more on the plate of the next men up over the next month.

That places a premium on complementary football, because a cleaner offensive performance eases the burden on a defense missing a high draft pick in the rush plan.

All told, Cincinnati needs clean operation and a receiver group that wins on timing rather than pure speed to navigate Pittsburgh without Burton.