Bengals WR clarifies sudden absence from practice in pointed statement about injury

The Cincinnati Bengals need a lot of young players to step up particularly on the defensive side of the ball in 2025.

Second-year wide receiver Jermaine Burton has a greater margin for error thanks to the presence of reliable studs like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Andrei Iosivas topping the depth chart. However, in the midst of a promising start to camp, Burton was unexpectedly absent from the practice field on Sunday.

There were character concerns that caused Burton to fall to the third round of the 2024 draft after many labeled him as a first-round talent. After a rocky rookie campaign, Burton was showing positive signs in training camp until this latest setback.

Based on what the young man himself had to say on Monday, though, it sounds like Burton's situation wasn't anything to be alarmed about.

Jermaine Burton clarifies injury was why he missed recent practice

It wasn't immediately apparent why Burton wasn't seen anywhere on the practice field on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher expressed frustration that Burton wasn't able to suit up once it was revealed that he was "day-to-day" with an undisclosed injury.

Speculation began to fly around that Burton was in trouble with some off-field issue. That prompted him to release a statement today to emphasize that his lack of participation was purely injury-related.

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— 👁‍🗨 (@NASAMAINE3) August 11, 2025

At the end of his statement, Burton vowed to continue working hard for the team and for the fans, and that he'll be back in action soon. That's the main takeaway to me here. While I don't love that Burton felt the need to pop off at the media, I can only imagine his frustration at the obvious narratives people started running with.