Jermaine Burton's NFL opportunity came, then he didn't play

Rookie Jermaine Burton had caught two passes and played 49 offensive snaps in the Cincinnati Bengals' first eight games, so it may have come as no surprise that the former Alabama wide receiver was designated an inactive day for Game No. 9 on Sunday – except Coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow had indicated that the third-round pick was being prepared for a much larger role with the loss of wide receiver Tee Higgins.

“Jermaine was a big part of the plan,” Taylor said after the Bengals beat the Las Vegas Raiders 41-24, “and throughout the week there were a lot of positive things people said about him, and it was all true. “. And then late in the week we just had to do all our business properly. And so I can sit here and say that making him inactive was a difficult decision, but based on all the information we had, it was absolutely the right decision.

“He’s a guy who I think is going to have a really good career here and we’re going to support him. And he wants to help us win and do things right. Today was simply a necessary step that we had to take. But we will get him back into the squad and make sure he continues and becomes a professional. There are a lot of things to love about Jermaine, so he has his best days ahead of him and we will make sure he achieves that.”

Taylor declined to elaborate on what led to Burton not wearing the uniform at the exact moment his opportunity presented itself, but said, “Jermaine understands the situation.”

“I still think his best days are ahead of him,” Taylor said. “We’re going to help him get there. And he wants it for himself. We want it for him too. Sometimes you have to do things like what we did to help him get to the next part. He understands that and we’re going to help him get there.”

Cincinnati cornerback Mike Hilton was more blunt than his coach after the game.

“When you get to this point in your career, you have to grow up,” the eight-year veteran said. “You are a grown man. No one will babysit you anymore.”

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban worked as an analyst during ABC's coverage of the NFL Draft on April 26 and said Burton needed more “emotional maturity” to show his skills to the pros.

“The most important thing he has to do — and I think emotional maturity is the best way to put it — is to always do the right things,” Saban said. “He does the right things on the field. He knows how important it is what he has to do on site. He wants to be a player. That's all he thinks about.

“But you always have to do the right things in your life so that you can get the most out of yourself on the field and do your best.”