ORCHARD PARK — Jermaine Burton stood in front of Buffalo Bills fourth-round pick Skyler Bell in the wide receivers line prior to a drill.
Surrounding them were 56 other players. Ten of the 58 were this year's draft picks. Twelve were players signed as undrafted free agents and four were players signed to reserve/future contracts. The rest were tryout players just looking for a chance.
Two years ago, Burton was in Bell's position. A third-round pick from Alabama by the Cincinnati Bengals , Burton was supposed to be a complement to star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins .
But Burton couldn't outrun his mistakes as they began to grow. Burton didn't appear in a regular-season game last year, and just hours before a game against the Bills, the Bengals announced his suspension for unspecified reasons.
Burton didn't make the trip to Orchard Park and was waived the following day after catching four passes for 107 yards and appearing in just 14 games over two seasons. So Burton waited for another chance and this time he did travel, with the Bills feeling his upside was worth a tryout during the rookie minicamp Friday.
"Opportunity is opportunity and you've got to take advantage of it," Burton said after practice. "I'm just kind of moving forward in the future right now, just trying to be where my feet are, take it day by day and keep working."
Off-field concerns have followed Burton since college, splitting four years between Georgia and Alabama. In 2022, he struck a female student who was storming the field after a victory against Tennessee .
After spending the 2024 pre-draft process assuring teams he wasn't going to be a concern for anyone who drafted him, Burton was suspended for a Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders during his rookie season for missing a walkthrough. He also didn't travel with the Bengals for the regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers .
Burton was also named in a police report for two separate domestic violence incidents in December 2024. The report alleged Burton choked and hit his ex-girlfriend. Another said he broke into the home of a woman he was dating hours after they had been drinking.
In a 911 call to Cincinnati police, the woman told police Burton choked her in the hallway of her apartment complex, broke into her apartment and grabbed a knife, held it to his neck and threatened to kill himself. He then broke her phone and left.
The woman also told police Burton allegedly pushed her down a set of stairs and there was another incident in which Burton threatened to harm himself. No charges were filed for any occurrences.
During the same time period, Burton was allegedly evicted from his Cincinnati home for lack of payment and the landlord filed a civil lawsuit for $10,000 in damages "beyond ordinary wear and tear."
He was benched for another game last season after missing another team meeting. And then he was listed for various injuries the remainder of his run with the Bengals.
"That's something I'm not focused on and just trying to move forward," Burton said.
Burton said since his release by the Bengals he has been working with a personal trainer and waiting for an opportunity. This isn't the first time the Bills have extended a tryout to a player in a unique situation.
Former Denver Broncos first-round pick Shane Ray earned a tryout in 2023 after wrist injuries knocked him out of the NFL. Lacrosse star and Silver Creek native Zed Williams earned a tryout in 2024, while wrestling star Gable Stevenson spent training camp with the Bills the same year.
Ray earned a contract to training camp before being released. Giving Burton a tryout is no cost to Buffalo's salary cap and he is a talented player, making 132 catches for 2,376 yards and 22 touchdowns, averaging 18 yards per catch during his college career.
"We'll flip over any rock we can to find a way," Bills general manager Brandon Beane told WGR550 after the draft. "Obviously he's a talented player. The off-the-field stuff got him a little in college and it got him here. We'll start it at that and nothing more."
The Bills have signed seven of their 10 draft picks, including second-round picks T.J. Parker and Davison Igbinosun , fifth-round picks Jalon Kilgore and Zane Durant and seventh-round picks Toriano Pride Jr. , Tommy Doman Jr. and Ar'maj Reed-Adams.
Buffalo also added 12 undrafted free agents, including Wisconsin fullback Jackson Acker, Kennesaw State wide receiver Gabriel Benyard, Clemson outside linebacker Cade Denhoff, Missouri State cornerback Jordan Dunbar, Duke guard Bruno Fina (son of former Bills offensive tackle John Fina), Tennessee Tech inside linebacker Theron Gaines, Virginia Tech defensive end Kody Huisman, Kentucky wide receiver Ja'Mori Maclin, Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid, Youngstown State wide receiver Max Tomczak (nephew of former NFL quarterback Mike Tomczak), Arkansas cornerback Kani Walker and Syracuse guard Da'Metrius Weatherspoon.
Other notable tryout players included Buffalo quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson and offensive lineman Ashton Grable, brother of Bills offensive tackle Tylan Grable .
