The Pittsburgh Steelers will have one less player to worry about in the Cincinnati Bengals offense.
The Cincinnati Bengals have parted ways with one of quarterback Joe Burrow 's weapons.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport , the Bengals are releasing wide receiver Jermaine Burton , who was suspended for the team's Week 14 game against the Buffalo Bills . He will now head to waivers to see if any other teams are interested in taking a chance on him.
Many viewed Burton as a Day 1 or early Day 2 talent in the 2024 NFL Draft after racking up 132 catches for 2,376 yards and 23 touchdowns during his collegiate careers at Alabama (2022-23) and Georgia (2020-21).
However, he fell to Cincinnati in the third round with concerns around him outside of football. It now seems there was some truth to those worries.
Burton failed to make a true impact during his two-year stint with the Bengals, recording just four catches for 107 yards in 14 games played.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 1, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Cincinnati likely had hoped that he could replace wide receiver Tee Higgins , who was due for a big payday this offseason. Due to his lack of production, though, the team was forced to sign both Higgins and fellow wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to contract extensions, leaving it with little resources for its struggling defense.
Only time will tell if another team is willing to take the risk on Burton, but he had been linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the pre-draft process.
There may not be a better team than head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers at handling wide receivers with big personalities. Although, that is something they have been seemingly trying to move away from.
Still, Burton is an intriguing player and maybe a fresh start is all he needs to finally reach his full potential.
"I think everybody worked really hard at it and wish him the best," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said . "Hopefully he gets a change of scenery and it can do good things for him."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Bengals Part Ways With Former Third-Round Wide Receiver
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