Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or John Metchie III

Thursday, January 30, 2:42 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was selected with the No. 80 overall pick (third round) in the 2024 NFL Draft after a strong final season at Alabama. However, the 23-year-old played sparingly in his rookie season and caught just four passes for 107 yards on 14 targets in 14 games. At the Senior Bowl this year, Bengals director of player personnel spoke on Burton's status with the organization. "He's done nothing, and he's going to have to start doing something quickly. We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he's had in the past, and we're going to continue to try to help him," Tobin said. "But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you're playing for, and he has to figure that out." Burton notably did not travel with the team for a must-win game against the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2024 campaign and seems to be falling out of favor with the coaching staff and front office quickly. The speedster could be at risk of being released or traded before the next regular season.

Saturday, January 11, 8:18 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III was the second option in the Houston passing offense on Saturday, catching four passes for 28 yards in a 32-12 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Alabama product was targeted eight times, which tied receiver Nico Collins for the most on the team, but brought in only half of them. With Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) both out for the season, Houston has yearned for another receiver to get in the mix behind Collins, and Metchie seemed to be the preferred next man up on Saturday. The victory assured Houston will have at least one more game with a Divisional Round date to be decided.